The Uchiha Katana: Part 1
by karinakatana
Summary: Karina Uchiha Katana is a special girl. Her parents were killed when she was four, and her clan is widely spread out. Not even the Uchihas accept her. When she is placed on Team 7, she forms unbreakable bonds. But can she keep her new family together? Or will everything fall apart at the touch of a Sannin?


**Chapter 1: The Uchiha Clan**

**Karina**

I put down my schoolbag with a sigh. I hated going home to an empty house, but my parents had passed away three years ago, and the only family I had left were the Uchiha clan members. However, they never acknowledged me. Ever. It was quite depressing, actually, but… oh well…

But they were still my only kin left, and I visited the Uchiha compound quite often. I usually avoided them when I visited, preferring to sit on rooftops or in trees, watching happy families joking, laughing, and enjoying themselves.

That had been my plan for this afternoon, but I had promised my friend Hinata that I would visit her after school. And I wasn't someone who broke promises just 'cause.

So I jogged over to the Hyuga house, which didn't really count as a house. It was like a small mansion and training ground in one. Hinata was originally supposed to be the heir of the main branch, but because of her personality, she wasn't the best at fighting others. So her father, Lord Hiashi Hyuga, had appointed Hinata's younger sister, Hanabi, as the next heir. I felt sorry for Hinata, since it wasn't really her fault. And I highly disliked her father, who disliked his own daughter just because she had a gentler personality.

"Hinata!" I called as I neared the front door. The door flung open just as I climbed the top step. It was Hinata's younger sister, Hanabi.

"Hi, Karina." She said. At least Hanabi was nice, and while she followed her father's directions and was very obedient, she still loved her older sister.

"Hey, Hanabi. Where's Hinata?" I smiled at her.

"She's with Sakura." She said. "She said to tell you to go find them in her room when you arrive."

"Okay. Thanks, Hanabi." I stepped into the house and took off my sandals. Hanabi nodded, then disappeared into a side room. I knew my way around the house, and headed for Hinata's room at the end of a long corridor.

I poked my head into Hinata's room. "Hey, guys." I said as I stepped into the room. Sakura and Hinata were sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room, playing cards.

"Karina!" Sakura smiled and waved.

"Hi. Do you want to play?" Hinata asked. I shrugged.

"Sure. What are you guys playing?"

"Just some old game called Big Two. It's from China, I think." Sakura answered, playing a couple of cards as she spoke.

"But it's not as fun with only two people. I'll teach you the rules, and then we can all play, okay?" Sakura continued, looking up at me. I nodded.

"Okay."

**Hinata**

Karina was, as always, a fast learner, and caught on quickly. She won the first two games and was well on her way to winning a third.

Sakura played a full house. I passed. Karina played another full house, and everyone else passed, so she played singles. Finally, Sakura had four cards, Karina had one, and I had three. It was my turn, and I played two of my cards—a pair. Karina had to pass, of course, not having two cards. Sakura played two cards, and I had to pass. So Sakura played a single—and Karina won.

"Yes! I won!" Karina cheered. I laughed softly.

"Nice job," I congratulated her. I suddenly realized that I never stammered when I was alone with my best friend. At least, she was my best friend. I don't know if I was hers.

"Yeah… I beat you one day, Karina…" Sakura pouted, and Karina and I both laughed.

"Okay. Good luck with that." Karina replied, stretching.

"Sorry, guys, but I have to go," Sakura then stood up. "My mom said to be back by five-thirty, and it's already five."

"Okay," I answered. "Uh… bye, then…" I was unsure of what to say, but Sakura smiled and left the room.

"I should be getting home too, okay?" Karina said. I nodded.

"Okay… bye…"

"Oh, and good luck on your test tomorrow." She said over her shoulder as she slipped out of the room. I stared after her. How had she known we had a test tomorrow? And then I remembered that this test was the Genin test, and all the Academy graduates probably had to take one.

I smacked my forehead. I should have encouraged her, too. Before she left. At that moment, the door opened, and Hanabi was standing in my doorway.

"Oh…! Hanabi…?"

"Father says it's time for dinner." Hanabi answered. I stood up.

"Okay." I said, and we headed for the dining room together.

"You have a test tomorrow, don't you?" Hanabi asked as we walked. I stared at her.

"How did you know?"

"Because Father said… well…" Hanabi hesitated. I didn't care what Father said; he didn't like me anyway.

"Go on." I nudged her. She sighed.

"He said that you probably wouldn't pass." She answered. I shrugged.

"He never thinks I'll pass."

"But I think you will,"

I stared at Hanabi again. She thought I would pass? So somebody in my family _did_ have faith in me! I clutched Hanabi's hand and gave it a grateful squeeze.

"Thank you."

** Karina**

It was starting to get dark outside, as I leaped across rooftops towards the Uchiha compound. Like I said, I liked watching the various families, whatever they did. Today, I would go to the center of the compound, where the chief of police and the head of the clan lived. Fugaku Uchiha, his wife Mikoto, and their children, Itachi and Sasuke. Itachi was the youngest Academy graduate ever, and had already been in the ANBU black ops for six months. He had developed his Sharingan at age eight, which was a feat unheard of before. Of course, his brother Sasuke was doing pretty well in my Academy class… he was always the first ranked in ninjutsu and taijutsu, but I beat him at genjutsu. He wasn't too happy, of course.

But as I approached, I knew something was wrong. It was too dark. The lights were out at what was supposed to be dinner time, when most people turned their lights on. And there were no sounds. Everything was silent.

My first thought was that everyone had left for some reason. And my second thought… I didn't have a second thought, because at that moment, I saw them.

Slain. Bloody. Lying on the streets. I was too surprised to move, but then, I got to my senses and hurried on. To the head of the clan's house. He needed to know about this. Right?

Along the way, though, I saw many others. Other families that I had watched just the week before. Happy families and joyful families. Families that enjoyed each others' company. All dead. How could anyone do this?

If you've never had a shock as big as this before, you wouldn't understand. You couldn't. It's shock, sadness, and horror all multiplied by a million. It's unbearable.

Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore. I was about to yell for anyone, to see if there was anyone that was still alive. I needed someone alive! The Uchiha clan couldn't be wiped out! Could it…?

But then I saw them. Itachi Uchiha and his brother Sasuke. Sasuke was crying, and seemed to be pleading with Itachi. Itachi was standing there, fully armed and dressed in ninja gear, and was completely calm. Why? What were they doing there?

And then, it hit me. The truth. _Itachi had murdered his clan_. Sasuke was probably the sole survivor. What would he do? What would I do?

Instinct made me creep closer to the two brothers, in an attempt to overhear their conversation. I leaped from rooftop to rooftop, all the while getting closer and being stealthily quiet. I caught the end of their conversation.

"—like me, you have the power to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan." Itachi said, his Sharingan becoming a Mangekyo. Sasuke looked horrified, still staring at Itachi as though he had suddenly turned into his worst enemy. Which, as I realized, he had.

"But there is a catch," Itachi continued calmly. I held back a sigh. I knew what he would say. "You have to kill… _your closest friend_."

"Kill… my closest friend?" Sasuke stammered. Then, his eyes opened wide. "Then… it was _you_! _You_ killed Shisui!"

Shisui Uchiha… I remembered hearing that he had committed suicide by throwing himself into the river. I also knew that Shisui and Itachi had been the best of friends. So… like Sasuke said… it must have been Itachi who had killed Shisui.

Itachi stayed silent, then turned, about to walk off. Sasuke stared after him, then yelled desperately, "Kill me, then!"

Itachi turned slightly. "Baby brother, you are not even worth killing. You're pathetic. If you want to kill me, then hate me and live! Cling to your life without honor! And when you have obtained the same eyes as me… then you will find me again."

And with that, he turned and walked away. Sasuke ran after him and threw three kunai knives. Itachi deflected them easily. As he looked back at Sasuke, who staggered and fell, I thought I saw tears at the corners of his eyes.

He was crying…? I immediately threw this idea away; Itachi was a cold-hearted murderer who had killed his entire clan. There was no way he would be crying.

And then, he leaped onto the nearest rooftop—which happened to be the one I was standing on. I stumbled back in horror. Would he kill me, too?

As he turned to look at me, I squeezed my eyes shut. I knew too well what the Mangekyo Sharingan could do, and I had absolutely no desire to meet Itachi. As he brushed by me, I tensed, hoping with all my might that he wouldn't attack. But to my surprise, he whispered in my ear, "Take care of him."

And then he fled into the darkness of the night.

**Sasuke ** I woke up in a bed, staring at a white ceiling. As the memories of the night before rushed back, I refused to believe it. _It was a dream… just a dream…_

But as I tried to block out the memories, a cut on my left arm stung. I winced, and remembered how Itachi had thrown a shuriken at my arm.

Finally, I was forced to face the truth: Itachi had killed the entire clan, and I was the sole survivor. What would I do?

I sat up, determined to see the sight for myself. I would go back home. So I slipped out of the bed and changed into clothes that were laid over a chair back next to the bed. As I put them on, a piece of paper slipped out of the folds of my shirt. I picked it up. It was a note.

_Dear Sasuke,_

_ You probably know me, but I know you better than you think. I know what happened last night, as I witnessed the last part of it. I also brought you here and alerted the Hokage and ANBU of the situation. They rushed to the scene immediately, but of course, Itachi did not stick around._

_ You have my full sympathy. I know what it feels like to have your family murdered. It is a terrible feeling, but I have learned to live with it. _

_ Please, do not mourn too much. Your family would not have wanted you to. They would have wanted you to be happy. I will see you again, soon. Until then, though…_

_ K. U. K._

I stared at the letter. How had… _K. U. K. _known about this? She—or he—had been watching the whole time? And the initials KUK… I didn't know anyone with those initials. There were many people whose first names started with K, and many whose last names started with K. But the "U" could only stand for one clan—Uchiha! So there was another Uchiha living…?

I laughed softly over my imagination. There was no way that another Uchiha was kept alive. No way. My clan had been killed. I was alone in the world. What would I do?

I buckled on my sandals, then slipped out of the hospital undetected. I ran as fast as possible to the Uchiha compound, screeching to a halt at the entrance. Yellow "caution" tapes blocked most of the entrance, but I ducked under the tapes and into the streets.

My aunt and uncle were sitting by their shop. "Hello, Sasuke! What'll it be today?" asked my aunt. I smiled. It _had_ been a dream!

And then I realized that it was all my imagination. My aunt and uncle were gone. Everyone was gone. It hadn't been a dream. It was reality.

I walked slowly through the empty streets, heading for the largest house in the center—the home of the Chief of Police, the head of the clan, and my father, Fugaku Uchiha.

I let myself in through the door, and eventually wound up in the room where I had seen my parents' bodies lying on the ground the night before. They had been taken away, and all that was left was a chalk outline of their bodies, serving as a marker for the ANBU to possibly investigate.

It was raining outside, and without planning it, the rain came out. It poured over my face, and down to my feet. I fell to my knees, unable to stop the stem of tears. I was alone! I had no one! They were dead… I would never see them again. Ever. I would never be able to apologize to my father for being so distant with him. I would never be under the gentle care of my mother, ever again. She would never tend to my wounds when I had had a hard day out training. My father would never tell me the words that I had so desperately desired for so long: "that's my boy", again. They were gone. All because of Itachi. Itachi, my older brother, and the one I would someday track down… and kill.

**Chapter 2: New Teams**

**Karina**

"All right, class!" Master Iruka, my teacher, stood in front of our class. I gulped nervously, then glanced sideways at Hinata . Although Hinata was a kind, cute girl, she was extremely shy, and often tried to hide behind others. As I had expected, she was staring down at her desk.

"Today, I will be announcing the new teams!" Master Iruka continued. "Congratulations to all of you who passed your Ninja Academy exam! From here, you will be placed in three-man-cells, under the direction of a Jonin master." A Jonin master? Cool! Jonin were, unlike Master Iruka, who was a Chunin, the elite ninja. They were the top rank ninja! Then, below them, were the Chunin, and below that were the Genin. Unfortunately, I was neither at the moment, not having passed the Genin test. Assuming there was one, anyway.

"Now, I will be announcing the teams, so PAY ATTENTION, SHIKAMARU!" Master Iruka glared at Shikamaru Nara, a lazy boy who never did much but sleep. He always complained that things were "such a drag"! I hoped that I wouldn't be on a team with him.

I wanted to be placed with Hinata. She was extremely shy, but as her best friend, I thought that I would be able to cope with it. After all, it would be nice for both her and me.

Another possible candidate was Sasuke Uchiha. He was almost always first in the class, and all the girls (and I mean _all_!) liked him. I had to admit, he was rather good-looking. Although his personality was a little cold, especially since his clan had been murdered, and he was a hard person to talk to, he would be a valuable team member.

Ino Yamanaka _or_ Sakura Haruno would both be okay choices. They were both rather nice girls, but for heaven's sake, if they were both on the same team, they would fight each other to death. (Notice the _or_) Those two girls were not only hot-tempered, but they both liked Sasuke and were rivals.

Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi would both be _terrible_ choices. They were both nice enough, but Shikamaru never really did anything, and Choji never stopped eating. They would never have enough energy to actually do anything useful on a team.

"—Cell Number 7!" Master Iruka's voice cut into my thoughts. I sat up with a start. I had been thinking about my new cell so much that I had completely missed the first few cells! Had my name been called already?

"—Sakura Haruno—" Sakura, huh? The next one had better not be Ino…"—Sasuke Uchiha—" Sakura _and_ Sasuke on a team together? Sakura would likely drive Sasuke nuts by the first three minutes. "—and Karina Katana." I stared at Master Iruka. Me, with Sakura and Sasuke? Why couldn't I just be with Hinata?

I caught sight of Sakura smiling at Sasuke, who was completely oblivious to it. Or at least, he was pretending to be. Sasuke's eyes slid sideways and locked their gaze on me thoughtfully. I stared right back at him, until he averted his eyes and turned his focus back on Master Iruka.

"Cell Number 8! Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyuga!" Master Iruka called Hinata's cell. I glanced over at Kiba. He was a rather mean-spirited, foolish boy who never went anywhere without his dog, Akamaru. Shino was a creepy guy who always had his face hidden. I didn't know much about him.

I might not have known much about Shino, but what I did know was that I would be stuck in the middle of a romance comedy, while my best friend, Hinata Hyuga, was trapped between two rowdy, freaky boys who she had never even spoken a word to. Great. Just great.

"You are all dismissed until 1:00! Then, you will go to your assigned classrooms, which are posted on the board, to meet your Jonin instructors!" Master Iruka called, and the class stood up.

"Hinata!" I stopped Hinata before she got out the door. She looked back at me nervously. She was always so nervous! Jeez! "You don't need to be so nervous around me, okay?" I asked. She nodded… nervously. Oh, well…

"Here." I held out my hand to her, palm up. She stared at the object I held. It was a sort of necklace, made of pure silver with a charm hanging from it. I had one too; the only difference was that mine had the Katana clan's symbol on the charm, while Hinata's was the Hyuga clan's symbol.

Hinata took the necklace and tied it around her neck. She smiled, a little more confidently. "Thank you, Karina!" She didn't stammer for once. I laughed, then leaned closer.

"That charm, it's not just a decoration," I whispered. She glanced at me in surprise. "Listen carefully, and then we'll try it out. If you're ever in trouble or a tight spot where you need me to come back you up or something, grab the charm and send your chakra into it. No matter where I am, as long as the necklace is on me, I'll feel it turn hot as the chakra you sent into it comes out against my skin. Then we'll always know if the other is in trouble."

"W-Wow!" Hinata fingered her charm.

"Let's try it out, okay? I'll go to that side of the schoolyard," I pointed to the right. "and you'll go to that side." I said, this time pointing to the left. Hinata nodded, and we both raced for our ends, eager to try out the necklaces. As soon as I reached the end of the yard, I clasped the charm on my necklace and closed my eyes, concentrating. I sent some chakra into the necklace, then opened my eyes to see Hinata running towards me.

"I-It worked!" She said, panting for breath.

"Good! Use it whenever you need it, okay? I'll always come find you… no matter where I am."

**Chapter 2: My Name is Kakashi Hatake!**

"Why, why, does our teacher have to be the only one who hasn't shown up yet?" Sakura complained from where she was standing at the front of an empty classroom. Sasuke was ignoring everyone and everything around him, staring straight ahead, and was seated one of the benches.

"How should I know?" I muttered, annoyed. "If you really want to know, you might as well go ask."

"All the other cells have already gone off with their new jonin teachers! And here we are, waiting for our teacher, who's _already forty minutes late!_" Sakura ranted. "I mean, come on, really! What kind of teacher is he if he doesn't even know the proper etiquette?"

I, however, had just noticed a hand starting to slide open the door. Our teacher was here!

"When he gets here, I'll have to teach him a little lesso—" Sakura broke off abruptly as I clapped my hand over her mouth. Just in time, too. Our new teacher stepped into the room at the exact same moment.

Our new Jonin master was a fairly tall, fit man probably around his late twenties or early thirties. He was wearing the standard Jonin outfit, which consisted of a black jumper, with a green vest over it. He had gray hair swept to one side, which made him look automatically cooler, though I seriously doubt that to look cool was his intention.

"Well! Based on my first impression, I have to say—" he started, smiling nicely. A little _too_ nicely, I thought. And I was right. "**I HATE YOU!**"

He had obviously heard Sakura's whining… I glanced over at Sakura. She looked a little terrified, and looked like she was silently cursing herself. Sasuke was glaring at our master, as though he thought that the Jonin was completely worthless. A mistake, in my opinion. Jonin were the highest rank, after all. Sasuke, not yet even a Genin, had really no right to be looking down at a Jonin. Especially, not our future master. Besides, a small thought was bubbling at the corner of my mind. This man looked familiar, and if he was who I thought he was, our teacher would be an extremely skilled ninja.

"So! If you don't mind, let's get started." Yes, lets! A nice comment from someone who was forty minutes late! "Follow me, kids." He led us to the balcony above the school building, where Sasuke, Sakura, and I sat down on the steps facing our teacher, who was seated comfortably on the railing.

"Well, everything I know about you three is what Iruka has told me. I'd like you to introduce yourselves, and tell a little bit about yourselves so that we can all get to know each other a little better. You know, your likes and dislikes, hobbies, your dreams for the future, things like that."

"Um… why don't you give us an example?" I suggested warily. What was he trying to get at?

"Yeah, help us out here. Show us how it's done," Sakura agreed.

"All right, if you insist… my name is Kakashi Hatake. I don't feel like talking about my likes and dislikes with you all, I have lots of hobbies, and my dreams for the future are none of your business… your turn, next." Master Kakashi finished. I smiled. I knew it! It _was_ Kakashi Hatake!

Sakura and I exchanged glances, and Sakura muttered, "Hey… he said a lot, but all we really learned was his name…" Yeah… lucky for me, though; I already knew quite a bit about him.

"Starting with you, on the right!" Master Kakashi indicated me. I thought about it for a moment.

"Well… my name is Karina Katana. I guess you could say that I like my friends, and my major dislike would be…" I hesitated, then decided to just say the truth. "… probably the way that the villagers stare at me, as if I were some… criminal, some ant, I don't know! Just… I hate it, okay? My dream for the future would be to become the Hokage…" The Hokage was the ninja acknowledged as the strongest and most fearsome in the village. He had a very high rank, and controlled all the ninja in the village. "… so that all the villagers will have to look up to me at last!" As soon as I said it, I realized how childish it sounded. But… it was my dream, and Master Kakashi had asked.

"Erm… very good! Next, you, in the middle."

"I am Sasuke Uchiha. There isn't really anything that I do like, and "dreams" is just a word… but what I do have is determination. Until this person is hunted down, I will not rest. Because there is someone… that I have **sworn to kill**."

_ I assume that you're talking about Itachi, of course…_

"… and finally, the young lady on the left!"

"My name is Sakura Haruno. I have a certain like, and… er… it's not a _thing_, it's a person… a boy, actually, and his name is…" I rolled my eyes. Sakura blushed, looking over at Sasuke shyly, who gave no reaction. "… uh, let's move onto my dream." She blushed again, and even Master Kakashi seemed a little annoyed. Oh, well… Sakura's Sakura…

"Well! I believe that we all understand each other. Now, let's move on."

"Do we get to go on missions already?" Sakura asked excitedly. Master Kakashi shook his head.

"No. Tomorrow, you're going to participate in a survival test."

"Survival test…?" Sasuke muttered.

"Yes."

"But we already did plenty of those back at the Academy!" Sakura protested.

"And what's this test for, anyway?" I added. Master Kakashi laughed. I cocked my head and raised an eyebrow at him.

"What's so funny?" I growled. Master Kakashi stopped laughing and grinned evilly at us.

"I can't tell you. If I did, you would chicken out."

"Chicken out?" Sakura asked.

"Why in the world would I do that?" I answered defiantly. Sasuke stared at Master Kakashi but didn't say anything.

"_Of the 33 students in your academy class who passed the graduation exam, only nine will actually be accepted as Genin, junior ninja. The test we're about to take has a 66% rate of failure._"

I felt my mouth drop open. A 66% rate of failure? That was over half! What in the world would we have to do…? Master Kakashi laughed again.

"See? You're chickening out already!"

"Shut up! You're annoying!" I yelled.

"Me? Annoying? Where did you get that idea?" Master Kakashi raised an eyebrow at me.

"You're just annoying!" I couldn't think of anything else to say. Master Kakashi shrugged.

"Well, just be at the training area by seven tomorrow. Got it?"

"Yes, sir…" Sakura and I muttered at the same time. Sasuke jerked his head into what might have been a nod, and we all took off.

"Oh, and…" Master Kakashi called after us. "Don't eat breakfast. You'll throw up."

**Chapter 3: Teammates**

So Master Kakashi was annoying. And powerful, I knew. My father, being the head of the Katana clan, (although our clan was very rare; I think I must be the only one left, but I did hear a rumor about another boy living in Sunagakure.) was very knowledgeable.

My mother was an Uchiha. This combination was pretty much forbidden, not by law, but it was just a general rule. I was known among the older generations in the village as "the Uchiha Katana". For this reason, many adults refused to acknowledge my existence, due to another Uchiha Katana years ago who had sworn revenge on Konoha, and had attacked a few years before I was born. Therefore, I hated the nickname (although it does sound pretty cool).

I had first heard about Copy Ninja Kakashi, the man who had copied over a thousand techniques with his Sharingan eye, when I was four. I had always admired him, even when I had developed my own Sharingan a few months later. Even now, I had still only managed to develop one eye. Since I was only half Uchiha, I guess my other one would be slower at coming to me.

But the fact that my right Sharingan was fully developed was a great asset when fighting particularly strong enemies… like Master Kakashi. I would probably have to use it tomorrow. What struck me as funny was that I knew my Uchiha chakra was the one that was hidden inside me, almost like a jinchuriki and their tailed beasts' chakras, and that my Katana chakra was the one I usually used. But my Katagan, known as "the chakra shield", was not even close to being fully developed. I could only use it for small parts of my body and for a small amount of time. It would be very useful when used alongside my Sharingan, I knew.

I fingered my charm and smiled. I just hoped I wouldn't have to use it too soon.

**Sakura**

I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the village, looking for things to do. My mother was out shopping, and my father was helping the academy teachers, for what reason, I do not know.

"Sakura!" I heard a voice behind me, and I turned. It was one of the few girls who had no interest in Sasuke, Koyuki Kazehana. She was a tomboy who always wore "boy clothes" and, like Karina, never paid any attention to Sasuke. But she was nice.

"Hey, Koyuki," I said as she caught up to me. "Watcha doin'?"

"Nothing; I just thought I'd hang out for a while. So what are _you_ doing?"

"Nothing." I answered, and we both laughed.

"So I suppose you're liking your new team?" Koyuki was aware of my interest in Sasuke; actually, it was hard not to be aware since more than half the class was always trying to sit next to him.

"Yeah… I guess you could say that," I giggled. "Of course, Karina's pretty nice, too. And she even had the guts to call our master 'annoying'!"

"She called a jonin annoying?" Koyuki stared at me in surprise. I laughed and nodded.

"Yes…"

"Why?"

"Well… are you sure you want me to tell you? It's a little complicated."

"Yeah! Here, I bought a couple of dangos at that shop over there. Let's go into the shade, and you can tell me the story while we eat dangos."

"Well…" I hesitated, then nodded. "Okay."

We walked over to a nearby tree and sat down in it's cool shade. Koyuki extracted two dangos from a small bag and handed one to me. I took it and chewed the top ball.

"Okay, so what happened?" Koyuki prompted.

"Well, our jonin teacher is called Kakashi Hatake. He told us that we would be doing a survival exercise tomorrow morning. Karina asked him what the test was for, he said that he couldn't tell us because we would chicken out. Karina asked him anyway, and he said that out of all the classmates who had passed the graduation exam, only nine would actually become Genin. Of course, as you can probably

imagine, we were all surprised. Guess what he said?"

"What?" Koyuki slid another dango ball off the stick and popped it into her mouth.

"_See? You're chickening out already!_ "

Koyuki laughed at this. "I can imagine Karina glaring at him like crazy…"

"Yes, at this point, she told him that he was annoying. I have to say, I agree." I munched my last dango ball and put the stick back into the bag that they had come in.

"Yeah… our teacher told us that we would have a test, too, but she wasn't nearly as annoying." Koyuki stood up and stretched. "Well, sorry, but I have to go find my mom at the Nara household. You know, Shikamaru's house…?"

"Yup… haha, I'd love to see Ino's face when they do their own test and Shikamaru's just lying on the ground staring at the clouds, and Choji's finishing off his fiftieth bag of chips." I laughed. Ino-pig would never get Sasuke before me! He was _my_ teammate, not hers! She had no chance at all! "Sasuke's much better!"

Koyuki laughed too. "Okay… see you later, then. Bye!" she jogged off, waving. I waved back, then returned to the busy street. I sighed. Would Koyuki pass the test? Would Ino? What about Hinata? She was such a quiet, shy girl. Would she pass?

And more importantly, would we?

**Sasuke**

"Sasuke!" a voice shouted behind me, and I sighed. Why did it have to be now? I ignored whoever it was and kept walking, heading for the dock.

"Sasuke, please wait!" I gritted my teeth and spun on my heel. What did this girl want?

"What?" I asked impatiently. "If it's nothing important, go away!"

"I was just wondering… um…" it was, predictably, Ino. "… would you like to come to my house for dinner tonight?"

"No. I have my own plans." I continued walking, ignoring her smile. When would these stupid girls learn to leave me alone? Having two of them on my team was bad enough.

I mean, Sakura Haruno? Why in the world would they put me with her? She was perhaps very intelligent at her studies, and was smart enough, sure. But she didn't have any real talent in ninjutsu or taijutsu. Her genjutsu skills were more advanced than most, however. But still…! She was so annoying!

I had to admit, Karina was better. At least she wasn't obsessed with winning my heart. Her ninjutsu was pretty good, and her taijutsu too. Her genjutsu… well, I hadn't had much chance to check it out. But I did know that overall, her scores were just below mine. Which was a pretty good feat. But she was still a girl, and girls usually drove me nuts. I could probably handle Kakashi by myself. No need for silly girls to butt in.

I arrived at the dock and sat down at the edge. I sighed. My father had taught me my first fire jutsu here. Although he had never paid much attention to me, when Itachi had started acting strangly, he had turned to me. And there was never a day when I didn't wish for my clan back. Even if I had to deal with a father who didn't love me.

"Sasuke…" said a soft voice. I whipped my head around and glared at whoever it was. I was surprised to see that it was Karina.

"What do you want?" I asked roughly. She put her hands on her hips and frowned at me.

"That's not very nice, is it? I mean, it's really not nice."

"So? What do I care?" I guess Karina could be annoying.

"Nothing, probably, but you should."

"Shut up." I gritted my teeth.

"I don't want to."

"I said, shut up!"

"Do you miss your family? Poor, poor Sasuke."

"Shut _up_!" I launched at her, ready to land a hit. She scooted backwards, and I ran after her.

"Get back here, you idiot!" I yelled. I pretty much never got this worked up, but she was sooooo annoying!

"You'll have to come get me!" Karina called back. A moment later, she had performed a jutsu that I didn't recognize. It was like the art of the doppelganger, only it wasn't genjutsu. There were five solid bodies!

"What…?" There weren't many jutsus that I didn't know.

"It's called Kage Bunshin no Jutsu… the Art of the Shadow Doppelganger!" one of the clones yelled.

"And if you don't get me quick, I'll tell everyone that you love Sakura!" another clone taunted. Heat rose to my face. I did not love Sakura! I was close to hating her!

"Get back here, you moron!" I sped after the clones, and took out a shuriken. I threw it at a clone. I didn't hit the real body; the clone disappeared in a big cloud of smoke. I kept chasing clones and hitting them, until the last one disappeared. But where was the real body?

"Over here." I heard Karina's voice, and turned, shuriken in hand. Her head popped up from behind a tree. "That was pretty impressive. Nobody's ever destroyed my clones so quickly before."

"What are you doing? What's your intention?" I stalked over to her angrily. "Why did I have to chase after all those clones?"

"I was just testing you," Karina replied calmly. "After all, you're my teammate now, and I like to know a bit more about people I'm going to work with before I do work with them."

"Then go do it to Sakura or something! Stop bothering me!" I raged. She shrugged.

"No need. I got Koyuki to do it for me."

"Why, you…!" I was about ready to punch her when she laughed. I stared at her.

"Calm down, Sasuke! Save your energy for tomorrow. I assume you're going to pass Master Kakashi's test?"

"Of course." I dropped my hand.

"Then… well… bye!" and the clone disappeared. I sighed. I guess the real body was somewhere else to begin with, and all of them had been clones. Oh, well…

I walked back to my apartment and started preparing for dinner. It was getting late, and I needed enough energy the next day to beat the living daylights out of our worthless jonin teacher.

**Chapter 4: The Bell Test**

**Karina**

I yawned and stretched again. Where the heck was Master Kakashi? It was already 8:30 and there was no sign of him. Just like yesterday.

"He's late again!" Sakura voiced my thoughts. "Where the heck is he?"

"Be quiet. If you want to know, go find out." Sasuke was sitting propped up against a tree, arms crossed as usual.

"No need to be so cold, Sasuke." I said. "We're all teammates here. Even if you don't want to work with us, you don't really have a choice."

"Shut up, you idiot." Sasuke muttered. He was obviously still angry over yesterday's little… encounter.

"No." I liked talking back to people in order to annoy them, and Sasuke was a good target. He was always so cold and distant, and he needed a little… let's say… _distraction_.

"Well, I'm not talking to you, idiot. So you might as well shut up."

"Why?" It was a trick I had learned from Koyuki. To say "why" after others' statements and/or commands would definitely annoy them.

"Because you're annoying."

"Why?"

"Shut up!"  
"Why?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth hard and turned to me, balling his fists. "You wanna get hit?"

"You couldn't land a punch on me anyway." I taunted. He launched towards me, and I flipped backwards. Poor Sakura. She was just staring open-mouthed at us. She couldn't do anything. I formed a hand sign. _Art of the Shadow Doppelganger!_

Now Sasuke would have to take a lucky guess.

He picked a clone, and it disappeared with a _poof!_ He hit another clone, and another, and another. But there were still seven of us. He was getting angry, from the looks of it. Haha… too bad for him.

"Will you stop it already?" Sasuke was infuriated. He killed three of my clones in a frenzy, and was about to kill another one when we were interrupted by the timely arrival of:

"Master Kakashi!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Good timing." I said, making the rest of my clones disappear.

"Hmph!" Sasuke grunted and turned away.

"What's with you two?" Master Kakashi peered at me and Sasuke. "Fighting this early in the morning?"

"It's her fault."

"It's his fault."

We pointed at each other at exactly the same time, and said almost the exact same words.

"Well… since we're running a little late—"

"You think?" I muttered under my breath.

"—let's get on with the exercise."

The three of us all sat up and looked at him attentively. He pushed a button on an alarm clock that he had set on a nearby stone.

"The timer is set for noon. Your task will be to get these two bells from me." He held up two small bells, and fastened them to his waist. "Anyone who doesn't get a bell won't get any lunch."

"So… that's why you told us not to eat breakfast, isn't it?" I glared at Master Kakashi, who smiled and nodded under his mask.

"Correct!"

"But—wait a minute!" Sakura exclaimed, pointing. "There are only two bells! That means one of us will have to go without lunch…!"

"That's right. And that person will also get tied to the stump over there. I wonder who it's going to be…? You may use shuriken, or any other ninja tool that you have on you. Attack as though you intend to kill me, or you'll won't stand a chance." Master Kakashi turned to us.

"B-But that's dangerous!" Sakura stammered in surprise. "You could get killed!"

"Calm down, Sakura…" I said, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye. "He's a Jonin. Jonins don't usually get killed by Genins… doncha think?"

"I guess…" Sakura muttered, but I could tell she wasn't completely reassured.

"When I say "go", you three will start the task. Got it?"

"Yes, sir!" All three of us said in unison.

"Okay. Ready… steady… GO!"

I leaped over the green training field like a gazelle and hid myself behind a tree. I saw Sasuke high up in a tree directly across from mine, and Sakura was hiding underneath some bushes. Good. At least this was a good start.

** Kakashi**

I glanced around. Good. Everyone was hidden well. Now… who would attack first…?

Two shuriken whizzed at me, and I caught them on my index and third fingers on my right hand. Judging from the direction it was coming from, I guessed that it was Karina's doing. I heard a slight rustle behind me. So she was moving to conceal her position.

"Lesson number one: Taijutsu!" I called as Karina leaped at me. I spun around and blocked her punch, then reached down to knock her off her feet. She wasn't bad, though; jumping clear over my head, she launched two small throwing knives at me. I had never seen knives like this before, and leaped backwards. It seemed that they were just knives…

Karina ran towards me again, her hair streaming behind her. I caught a glimpse of her right eye, and was startled. It was red…? I had no time to process my thoughts, though, because she was onto me again.

This time, I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my favorite book, Make Out Paradise. It wasn't exactly… _appropriate_, but I liked it anyway.

Karina was staring at me, dumbfounded. She had halted in her tracks when I had reached into my pouch.

"What's with the book?" she asked coolly. I knew she was half Uchiha, and now it seemed as though all the Uchihas always kept their cool! First Itachi, then Sasuke, then Karina… and who knows how many more there would be if the clan had survived? Probably the only Uchiha I had ever known to be rowdy and loud was Obito, and he was long gone. Unfortunately.

"Oh, nothing… I just want to find out what happens next." I replied, flipping a page. Karina glared at me.

"Well… I won't give you that big of a chance!" she yelled, launching herself at me. I blocked her attacks and threw her back, then flipped another page, laughing because the main character had been rejected by his newfound love. Poor guy!

"Darn!" I heard Karina mutter, then looked up as she ran at me again. This time, I threw her all the way into the small stream beside the training ground. What would she do this time…?

** Sakura**

I watched as Karina was kicked into the water. Would she be all right? Suddenly, eight figures leaped out of the water at Master Kakashi. Karina! And there were eight of her! Like the clone jutsu, only…

It wasn't Genjutsu. There were eight distinct, solid bodies. What technique was she using…?

I watched from my hiding place as Karina and her clone things launched attack after attack at Master Kakashi. Although he was still reading his book, he had started to become more wary.

"Gotcha!"

I gasped as another Karina came up from behind Master Kakashi and grabbed him. She had tricked him! I smiled. She was good at this! Her clones all disappeared, and I realized that the real her was the one who had come up afterwards.

She was about to punch him when he disappeared, and a log took his place. Substitution Jutsu! Karina was no idiot, and immediately disappeared into the woods; to hide, no doubt. I pushed myself off of my elbows. I had to get moving too, if I wanted to get a bell.

Just as I was about to leave, Master Kakashi reappeared in the center of the clearing, still immersed in his book. I was startled when about half a dozen shuriken flew at him—and… hit him!

My mind spun. I knew it was Sasuke, but… how could he just kill our new master? A Genin killing Jonin was also unheard of, but still…!

And then I realized that Master Kakashi had let his guard down on purpose. He was trying to lure out somebody to fight. And Sasuke had just revealed his position by throwing those shuriken. Besides, Master Kakashi had just used another substitution. He wasn't dead. Not even close.

But if Master Kakashi knew where Sasuke was, would he go after him? I ran off into the woods, calling Sasuke's name. Master Kakashi couldn't have gotten him, could he?

**Sasuke**

That darn Kakashi! He had let his guard down on purpose! I sped through the forest, until I came to a sudden halt. Kakashi was right there, in the center of the clearing. I realized that he knew I was there, and that there was no use in trying to conceal my position.

So I took the advantage and threw a couple of shuriken. The stupid Jonin merely dodged them, flipping another page in his book. Ugh! That stupid book! What could be so interesting that he had to read it in the middle of our training?

Suddenly, I heard a cry. Sakura…? Kakashi smiled. "Lesson Number 2: Genjutsu."

If it was Genjutsu, Sakura was probably down already. And Karina was nowhere to be seen. But…

"I'm not like them." I stated, stepping out in the clearing. Kakashi didn't turn, and wasn't surprised at all. He just turned around slowly and looked me up and down.

"Save your boasts until you get a bell… Sasuke." He said calmly. And then… I rushed him.

I ran at him and tried to punch him in the stomach, but he caught my fist. My other hand was stopped as well, and when I tried to kick him, he used his arm to catch it. As we struggled for a second in mid-air, my fingertips were able to barely brush the bells hanging from his belt. Yes!

But Kakashi realized what I was doing and threw me backwards before I could actually snatch them. I landed on my feet, skidding backwards for a few seconds before forming my hand signs. _Fire Style: Fireball Technique!_

I blew fire at Kakashi for a while, then stopped, confused. Where was he?

**Chapter 6: Pass or Fail…! Kakashi's Final Decision!** ** Karina**

"Sakura, you are tied to the post because you did not get a bell. Karina and Sasuke… well… good job, I guess." Master Kakashi said.

"Hn." Sasuke huffed.

"With a little help of your Kekkei Genkai, anyway." Master Kakashi continued. I looked away, hoping that he wouldn't give me away too quickly. "So then… are we all agreed that Sakura's going back to the Academy?"

I glanced at Sakura. She had a pleading look on her face, and was straining against the ropes tying her to the post. I sighed. Sakura was probably just wanting to stay on our team because of Sasuke.

But Sakura could come in useful. She was intelligent and caring, most of the time, although her fangirl side of her was rather annoying.

"So what do you say? Any last words?" Master Kakashi asked.

"I didn't get a bell, but why do I have to go back? We were fighting against you, a Jonin!" Sakura protested.

"To tell the truth, Sakura…" I said without looking at her; I was staring at Master Kakashi in the eye. "He's not just a Jonin. He served as an ANBU for quite a while, too."

"But then that's even more unfair!" Sakura cried, then stared at me and Sasuke. "But then how did you and Sasuke get a bell?"

"They got the concept of this exercise," Master Kakashi cut in before I could say anything. "And that's how they got the bells."

"Concept?" Sakura was really being dense today. She was usually so smart, but…

"Yes, the point of this exercise wasn't just to get the bells! And Karina and Sasuke successfully figured it out and performed it flawlessly." Master Kakashi put his hands on his hips. "Do you know what it is now?"

I glanced at Sakura, willing her to get the right answer. But she really didn't get it.

"No… so what is it?"

"Teamwork!" Master Kakashi answered, as though he thought it was obvious. Which it kind of was… Sakura flinched in surprise, then seemed to be cursing herself for not realizing something so obvious. I mean, we were a team, and teams have to work together in order to do things! Duh! (although I didn't realize this until afterwards, either…) "Sakura, you went looking for Sasuke, although you didn't know where he was. You ignored the fact that Karina had been closer to begin with, and that you could have asked her for help. Running off into the forest alone when you don't know where you're going is not a good tactic."

Sakura hung her head shamefully. "I… I…"

"Karina finally got the point of this exercise, and asked Sasuke to help her work it out. Sasuke was reluctant, yes, but at least he agreed. Although to tell the truth, Karina's probably the only one who should really pass."

"What?" Sakura and Sasuke asked at the same time. I stared at Master Kakashi, stunned.

"Hey, hey! Sasuke got a bell too, so why shouldn't he be able to pass?" Sakura was indignant.

"Because he didn't get the point. He only agreed when Karina pointed it out to him, and even then, he was reluctant. So it goes to show that you're just some weak, idiotic brats who don't deserve to be ninja."

As soon as Master Kakashi said this, Sasuke ran at him, drawing a knife. Master Kakashi had him pinned to the ground in seconds. My breath caught when Master Kakashi pulled out his own knife and put it to Sasuke's throat.

"Karina! Kill Sakura, or Sasuke dies."

Sakura gasped in horror, but I glared at him. "'Kay." I said calmly, pulling out a knife. Sakura was staring at me with wide eyes, like she couldn't believe what I just said. She probably couldn't.

But I had researched up on Master Kakashi, and so I knew he could be very tricky sometimes. So I had created an extra clone back in the forest when I was finding Sakura, just in case. And now, as I drew Master Kakashi's attention to me as I held the kunai up high, ready to strike, my clone sped out of the trees towards Master Kakashi and Sasuke.

Everything happened in seconds. My clone pushed Master Kakashi off of Sasuke while I cut Sakura's ropes with a quick slash. Then, throwing the kunai on the ground next to me, I whirled around just in time to catch Sasuke as my clone threw him at me. I skidded backwards several feet from the force of the throw, then set Sasuke back onto his feet. Master Kakashi had gotten up by this time.

"So you knew this was coming." It wasn't a question. I shrugged.

"I didn't know. I guessed."

My clone disappeared with a poof, and Master Kakashi looked at me thoughtfully.

"Now what?" I asked, as Sakura came to stand by me and Sasuke.

"Nothing. YOU ALL—" He lunged at us, and Sakura shrieked in surprise and fear. I held up an arm, ready for the impact, but it never came.

"—pass!" he finished, his hand in a "good job" sign. I stared at him in surprise, as did Sakura and Sasuke.

"B-But…!" Sakura stammered. "You said—"

"Don't argue!" I hissed. Sakura ignored me.

"Why—How—But—" Sakura was stunned.

"It's true that those who break the rules are considered scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum." Master Kakashi offered as an explanation. I smiled. He was cool.

"Karina understands this instinctively," I stared at Master Kakashi as he said this, surprised. I did? "And so I can't hold you back any longer. You all pass! Team 7 official duties will commence tomorrow!"

He gave us another thumbs-up, and walked away. Sakura grinned at me and chased after him. Sasuke was staring at me out of the corner of his eye, until I stared right back at him. Then he averted his eyes and walked away, hands in pockets, and his head raised proudly. As always.

"Hey!" I chased after him, and whispered in his ear, "If you tell anyone about my Kekkei Genkai, I swear I'll hunt you down and kill you. I don't care if we're partly from the same clan—" I slapped my hand over my mouth. I had just told Sasuke my greatest secret…!

"I already know, and Kakashi already made me swear not to tell. But why do you keep it a secret?" Sasuke was giving me one of those stares again. I sighed.

"Go ask Sakura. No wait, DON'T! I meant, if you asked Sakura, she would know. But I guess you're not so intelligent…? Or maybe you should do more research. See ya."

And I leapt off, towards the ramen stand. Maybe Master Iruka would agree to pay for tonight's meal.

I knew I would have to tell my team one day. But until then… let them keep guessing.

**Chapter 9: Karina Uchiha Katana**

Sasuke

"They're forbidden among the clans."

"What?" I was surprised enough to shout for once. "What do you mean?"

"Daichi Katana was another Uchiha Katana who lived and died several years before you were born. He swore revenge on Konoha because nobody seemed to like him, and because he was so powerful, Konoha was nearly destroyed. Of course, with the help of the Fourth Hokage, he was defeated. But since the time he swore revenge on Konoha, Uchiha Katanas have been deemed forbidden—not by law, but by a general rule—by all the villagers."

I was really surprised for once. Karina… was forbidden? Then memories popped into my head.

*Flashback*

_A younger Karina, staring sadly at a young boy as he and his family strolled through the streets. Sasuke darted after her as she ran into the streets. He didn't know why, but some strange force made him go after her. _

_As Karina rounded a corner, a woman stepped around the corner, too. Karina didn't have time to stop, and ran into her. The woman's groceries tumbled out of her hands and fell onto the ground._

"_I'm sorry, ma'am," Karina stammered uncertainly. "I'll pick them up."_

"_You should, girl. Running into me like that… be more careful! Or I'll order the Hokage to find a way to make you more careful! You got that?"_

_Karina bowed her head, still crouched on the ground scrambling after stray groceries. "I'm sorry. I'll be more careful in the future, ma'am." She finished packing all the groceries away, and handed the bag back to the woman, who just sent her a glare and went on her way. As Sasuke passed her, she smiled at him._

"_Are you Sasuke Uchiha?" she asked. When he nodded, her smile grew bigger. "Here. Have this." she took a bag of candy out of her shopping bag. Sasuke took it, although he hated sweets._

"_Er… thank you," he didn't know what to say or do. She just patted his head and went on her way. Sasuke took a peek at Karina. She was watching with the same pained eyes that she had had when watching the other boy with his family. Sasuke had a sudden whim; he didn't know why he was doing this, but he took the bag of sweets that the lady had given him and threw them at Karina._

_Karina caught the bag in surprise, staring in confusion at Sasuke. "I don't like sweets," Sasuke shrugged, then turned and walked away from her. He could still feel her eyes boring holes into his back…_

_Karina, older now, racing along the streets towards Ichiraku Ramen. She passed Sasuke on her way, who didn't notice her much until familiar voices reached his ears._

"_Hey, Karina… come on! I'll pay tonight!" it was Master Iruka from the Academy. Sasuke turned and watched the two of them with growing interest._

"_Really? Great! Let's go, then!" Karina tugged Master Iruka's hand towards the ramen stand. Master Iruka laughed, and went along with her._

_Sasuke sighed. So Karina did have someone to be with… right?_

"_Want to come, Sasuke?" her voice popped up out of nowhere, and Sasuke jumped. _

"_Where did you come from?" he found himself face to face with Karina._

_ "Here. Now, do you want to come or not?"_

_ "Er… yes, but…"_

_ "Then come on!" Karina pulled Sasuke with her until they had caught up with Master Iruka._

_ "Hi, Sasuke. Are you coming along tonight?"_

_ "Apparently," he muttered, but didn't resist. _

_ "This is pretty much the only place that lets me eat without looking at me funny or asking me weird questions." Karina whispered to Sasuke as they neared Ichiraku Ramen. Sasuke stared at her in surprise. The only place…?_

_ Karina was walking along the streets, her head bent and her shoulders hunched. Sasuke wondered what was wrong. What had happened?_

_ Then he heard her name being mentioned, and turned to see who it was. He didn't know her, but it was some lady who was hanging out with her friends._

_ "—that girl, isn't she… you know, the… one?"_

_ "Yeah… I hope she doesn't turn on us, too."_

_ "Hopefully not, and the Hokage has assured us that there's nothing strange about her so far. But I would keep my eyes open just in case."_

_ "And the Hokage let her become a ninja, too! Ninjas can be powerful, just like him…"_

_ Sasuke didn't want to hear any more. He was curious, but to hear a classmate being scorned like that… he didn't know Karina very well, but from what she showed in class, Karina was smart, skilled, and friendly. To most people, anyway. So why did people talk behind her back?_

_*End Flashback*_

"Do you see now?" the Hokage asked me. I nodded. "She tried to keep it a secret from others, since there were enough people hating her already. They try to learn from their mistakes, but in this case, they are worrying too much."

"I… need to go." I dashed out of the room and zipped straight to the Uchiha compound. I darted into my house and sat down on my bed. I understood now. I knew why Karina had been scorned so much as a child. And I knew why she had warned me not to tell anyone.

And I was intent on keeping that promise.

**Karina**

I strolled along the streets with my hands in my pockets. A smile crept onto my face when I realized how much I must look like Sasuke. Oh, well…

"Hey! Wait up!" a familiar voice yelled from behind me, and I turned around in surprise. What was he doing here?

"What are you doing?" I asked Sasuke as he came up to me. He looked away.

"Nothing! I just wanted to… er… go get ramen with you. That's what you're doing, right?" Sasuke stammered.

"Yeah… but why the sudden change in attitude?" I asked suspiciously. That's what he was! Suspicious!

"Because I feel like it!" he muttered, and stuck his hands in his pockets, too. I glared at him.

"Are you copying me?"

"No! Why would I copy you?" he glanced at me, then realized that my hands were in my pockets, too. "Ugh…" he took his hands out. "There. Happy now?"

"Not particularly, but okay."

We walked in silence after that, interrupted only by the appearance of:

"Hey, Hinata!"

"Uh… H-Hi." Hinata smiled nervously.

"Do you want to come eat ramen with us?" I invited her.

"Well… sure…" she fell into step with us. "H-Hello, S-Sasuke…" Hinata was almost trembling, as though she thought he would try to eat her up if she was too annoying.

"Hi."

"Hinata, you don't need to be so scared! Sasuke's not going to attack you! I think," I added, glancing at Sasuke, who was staring at me out of the corner of his eye.

"You think I'm going to attack you?"

Hinata didn't answer.

"She says yes." I replied. Hinata nudged me fearfully.

"Karina!"

"Okay, okay! But he won't attack, okay?"

We finally got to the ramen stand, and sat down. I ordered a miso ramen, Hinata (stammering, of course) ordered one too, and Sasuke wanted a pork ramen.

"Coming right up!" was the cheery voice of the owner. I smiled at him.

"Thanks."

**Hinata**

The ramen was good, and eating with Karina was much better than eating at home. Sasuke seemed fairly decent, although I don't think he liked me very much. After Karina had forced Sasuke to pay for the meal, Sasuke turned to her.

"So is it true?"

"Is what true?" Karina was puzzled, and so was I. What was he talking about?

He leaned in close and whispered something in Karina's ear. Gauging from her reaction, I knew what it was about.

"Y-You know?" she said in barely a whisper. Sasuke nodded.

"And it makes sense now," he said.

"How?"

"The Hokage told me…" Sasuke shrugged. "He called me to his office and told me. Well, not really… I had asked Kakashi about it before, and he confirmed my suspicions."

I knew it! It was about Karina being a Uchiha Katana… poor Karina…

"Are you going to turn on me, too, then?" Karina was more wary now. He shook his head, seeming surprised.

"Uh… am I supposed to?"

"NO!" Karina screamed in his face. I laughed. So Sasuke could be dense sometimes…

"Don't do that!" Sasuke had regained his cool attitude.

"Okay."

"Oh yeah! Hinata!" Karina whirled around until she was staring into my eyes.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"Did you pass your test?" she practically yelled. I smiled and nodded. Karina cheered.

"Yay! Then we're all Genin!"

"Hmm? I thought you were the weak Hyuga." Sasuke commented, and my face burned. I looked down at my feet. It was true. I was weak.

"Shut up, Sasuke! It's not her fault she's gentler than many others! In fact, it's a good thing!" Karina stood up for me. "So don't talk about things you don't understand!"

Sasuke seemed surprised, then shrugged it off. "Hn!" he grunted.

"S-Sorry, but I have to go," I said then. "My father wants me back by night."

"… 'kay. See you soon!" Karina waved as I ran off. I smiled. She was my best friend… always.

**Chapter 10**

**True story! Except for the end… Read below: **

Karina: {writing chapter 1, Rakuto comes in and reads} Hey, Rakuto… GO PUT SOME CLOTHES ON, YOU IDIOT! (I think he just took a shower)

Rakuto(my brother): Okay, I will… after I read this…

Karina: Fine, fine! Hurry up!

Rakuto: Oh! KUK? You put in the initials KUK?

Karina: What's so wrong about that?

Rakuto: It's just a short step from KUK to KLUK to KLUCK to CLUCK! Like a CHICKEN!

Karina: Don't make fun of my initials, you dope!

Rakuto: But it's true!

Karina: JUST GET OUT OF MY ROOM AND PUT SOME D $% CLOTHES ON!

Rakuto: {sticks tongue out} And you forgot something…

Karina: Oh yeah! Copyright enforcing peoples, I don't own Naruto! Now will you GET OUT OF MY ROOM?

**Sakura**

Crap! I had woken up later than I had planned for! I was going to be late for our first real mission!

I leapt out of bed, threw myself into the shower, flung myself back out and into the closet, where I pulled on my usual ninja gear and apparel. Then, I grabbed my bag where I had put all my extra clothes and other things I would need for the mission from a shelf near the door.

Racing through the hallways, I raised my voice and yelled, "I'm off!"

"See you later, hon!" my mom called back. I grabbed a banana from the fruit basket, then ran out the door.

I halted at the spot where we were supposed to be meeting, not surprised that I was the last one there. Oh, wait… WHERE THE HECK IS MASTER KAKASHI?

"Hi, guys! Sorry I'm late, but—"

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR LAME EXCUSE!" Karina yelled at him before he could finish his sentence. Master Kakashi shrugged.

"Okay, then. Let's go."

"Finally!" Karina grinned, and we all headed for the village gates.

As we walked along in silence, I suddenly thought of something that worried me slightly.

"Say, Mr. Tazuna, sir…" I started. Tazuna glanced at me.

"What is it?"

"You're from the Land of Waves, right?"

"Yes,"

"Master Kakashi, are there ninja there, too?" I didn't want to meet any foreign ninja!

"No; most countries have their own shinobi force, but the Land of Waves doesn't have any ninja."

"So we won't see any foreign ninja?" I asked hopefully. Master Kakashi shook his head.

"No,"

"Good!"

But I couldn't help notice that Karina had a strange look on her face. She glanced at Tazuna, then at Master Kakashi, who was now patting me on the head, and then at Sasuke, who had the same look.

"What is it?" I asked them. Karina's expression immediately disappeared, replaced by a confused one.

"What is what?"

"You two are looking at each other funnily," I told them, watching their expressions carefully. Karina and my Sasuke were both smart, though… as I had expected!

"What are you talking about?" Karina asked me.

"Oh, nothing…" I muttered. They wouldn't give anything away, anyway… no use in asking more.

Sasuke

I sighed internally with relief. Sakura had almost gotten us there. I knew Karina had seen what I had: Tazuna had had a strange look on his face when Kakashi had mentioned the fact there would be no ninja. Why had Tazuna stiffened so much?

I shrugged it off; it was probably just nothing. Maybe just his nerves acting up.

We kept on walking until Karina gave out a small shriek. I turned around to stare at her.

"What now?"

"I stepped in a puddle. Sorry." She muttered, and we continued. A few minutes later, though…

"One little piggy…" came a strange, malicious voice. I whirled around in time to see Kakashi being torn to pieces by some weird people with air masks and chains!

"Master Kakashi!" Sakura screamed. Karina leaped backwards, away from the weird shinobi guys, and drew her Katana from its holster hanging from her belt.

"Sakura, protect Tazuna! And back off, weirdos!" she yelled at them, and charged. I drew a kunai and a shuriken, and threw them at the chains, causing them to fly into a nearby tree and stay there, stuck between the kunai and shuriken.

Karina took the chance to strike; a deep slash appeared down the front of one of them, while the other received a deep cut in the leg.

But the ninja were good. They let go of their chains and ran at Karina. She readied herself, but someone decided to step in the way…

"M-Master Kakashi!" Sakura was utterly surprised. Karina sighed with relief from her close call. I glanced back at where Kakashi had apparently been cut to pieces; it was just a bunch of wood pieces. Art of the Substitution!

"Hey, guys… sorry I didn't step in earlier. But you guys did a nice job," he said, picking up the two ninja and tying them to a tree.

"Hn." I grunted, and Karina kicked me in the shins. I hopped on the spot in pain. Shins hurt!

"Hey! What was that for, you idiot?" I growled at her. She grinned at me.

"Extend your vocabulary, you idiot," she answered, turning around to glare at the two ninja. Mist ninja, as I now realized.

"Seems like they were expecting us," the one on the left grumbled.

"How did you know?" asked the other.

"It hasn't rained for days, and it's been extremely sunny. So there shouldn't have been any puddles on the ground." Kakashi answered matter-of-factly.

"Ohhhh!" Karina obviously remembered stepping into that same puddle earlier. "So then…"

"But if you knew they were going to attack, why couldn't you have just stopped them?" Tazuna asked. Kakashi's frown deepened.

"I wanted to find out what their real target was."

Karina

I frowned. What did Master Kakashi mean by "their real target"? It wasn't us? The I realized that they had no reason to attack us. But Tazuna, who we barely knew anything about, could be…

"From the looks of it, you two are Chunin from Kirigakure, the Land Hidden in the Mist," said Master Kakashi. The two Chunin growled, and so… he put them to sleep for a while.

"And Tazuna, I need to talk to you," he added. Tazuna looked down at his feet.

"Yes, sir."

The two of them walked away, and I sat down on the side of the dirt path, drawing in the dust. Sakura came over and sat by me.

"So… their target was Tazuna?" she asked. I shrugged.

"I suppose."

"Of course it was. It couldn't have been us," Sasuke huffed.

"Well, it could've been me," I muttered under my breath, too low for anyone to hear. It was true. They could have been after me, the somewhat-famous Uchiha Katana. After all, I had an extraordinarily large chakra, and my two Kekkei Genkais were both well known and powerful.

"It can't have been you, can it?" Sasuke's eyes were boring holes into the side of my head. Sakura's head snapped up.

"What do you mean, Sasuke?"

"I mean that—"

"Shut it, idiot!" I clamped a hand over his mouth. Sakura stared at me.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing!" I yelled, and she flinched. I sighed, calming down. "Sorry."

"It's okay… but I… never mind." She seemed to think better of her question, and resumed picking clovers.

When Master Kakashi and Tazuna came back after about five minutes, I was already bored to death. I needed some more action!

"It's Tazuna, isn't it?" I whispered in Master Kakashi's ear as we resumed walking. He gave me a slight nod, and I caught Sasuke's eye, passing along the info. He nudged Sakura in turn (I think Sakura liked that), and she knew as well.

"Well, it looks like this is turning into a B-ranked mission. The target is Tazuna—"

"We know!" the three of us interrupted.

"But we should go back to the village and get more experienced ninja to do this mission!" Sakura added.

"No way!" I cried angrily. "We worked hard just to get the mission! I'm not giving up on it!"

"Me either," Sasuke said, then resumed being emo. I scowled at him.

"Then stop being emo, you duckbutt idiot,"

"Hey!"

I stuck my tongue out at him, then ran away from him. Sakura giggled.

"I guess Karina can be playful sometimes," she said.

"Hey! I'm not that serious!" I said, stressing the word 'that'.

"Yeah, yeah…" Sakura muttered, and we continued on our way.

**Chapter 11**

Wow… already chapter 11, and I haven't even gotten to the fight with Zabuza! I'm gonna have like 500 chapters before we get to part 2!

Sakura

We had been walking for quite a while now, and had finally gotten to a small dock, where a man was waiting with a boat.

"Hey!" Tazuna called to the man. "We're all ready when you are!"

The man waved us into the boat, and we all sat. Karina seemed deep in thought. So did Sasuke. Were those two twins or something? I mean, first they work together in the bell test. And after that they fight side by side against the two mist chunin. And finally, they had seemed to always have the same face expressions on at the same time! Jeez!

"So… what are you thinking about, Sasuke?" I asked lovingly. Sasuke was mine! Never Ino-pig's. After all, he was on my team, and maybe if I gave him enough attention, he would return my feelings. Sasuke gave a start.

"O-Oh! Nothing," he lied. I knew he was lying, but I didn't want to get on the bad side of him.

"Yeah, right," Karina muttered from her corner, where she was huddled into a tight ball. "If you want people to believe you, then you'd better come up with a better lie."

"I'm not lying!" Sasuke protested.

"Sure."

"I'm not!"

"Right."

"Hn!" Sasuke huffed. I smiled kindly at him.

"Don't worry."

"I'm not worried, either!" he glared at everything his eyes came into contact with for about a minute, then his gaze relaxed.

I thought I heard another one of Karina's sarcastic comments, but if Sasuke heard it, he gave no sign. The man who was in charge of the boat kept on rowing, even though the boat had an engine. And I thought I knew why.

*Flashback*(I'm not going to use the exact words that was used in the series)

"So these ninja were after you, Mr. Tazuna?" I asked him shyly. He nodded slowly.

"I suppose."

"Who sent them?" asked Master Kakashi.

"Well, there's a man who you may have heard of. He's a billionaire, and is in charge of a large company. His name's Gato."

"Gato? The Gato?" Master Kakashi gaped, stressing 'the'.

"Yes, that one. He may seem like a regular business man on the outside, but on the inside, he's a cruel, ruthless cold-hearted murderer. He takes over small lands, one at a time, and profits from their payments.

Recently, he arrived at the Land of Waves, and pretty much took over the land. There's only one thing he fears…" Tazuna trailed off.

"What is it…?" Karina asked.

"The completion of the bridge that I'm working on."

"Oh… I see… so as the maker of the bridge, you, Mr. Tazuna, are very much in his way." I realized, as everything clicked into place.

"Yes. If the bridge is completed, then the Land of Waves will have a clear pathway to the mainland, and we will be able to rely on ourselves again. This is precisely what Gato does not want; this way, he would have no control over us."

"Gato?" Karina spoke up.

"Yes; what about it?"

"His name means chocolate."

**End Flashback**

The reason that we weren't using the engine was to reduce noise so that Gato wouldn't catch us. Hmm… the land was in need of some real help if they were afraid to even turn the engine on their boat on!

Sasuke

I frowned in annoyance. Finally, we had arrived at the Land of Waves, and it just had to be freezing cold. Jeez!

When we had all stepped out of the boat, Tazuna thanked that boat-driver guy, and we set off. Then, Sakura made my mood SO MUCH BETTER by telling us that she thought she heard something.

"Okay… as long as we're not under attack, I'm good," Karina answered.

"I sure hope we're not," Tazuna muttered.

And guess what happened?

"Everybody, duck!" Kakashi yelled, and we all flattened ourselves against the ground. A huge sword/knife thing flew right over our heads and landed in a tree. A man jumped down from wherever he had been hiding and landed neatly on the handle.

"What the heck?" I muttered, picking myself up.

"Well, well… Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Mist, who ran away and became a rogue ninja…" Kakashi greeted him formally and warily.

"Ahh... Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan Eye. You've gotten yourself quite a reputation with that eye. High enough to be placed in my Bingo Book." Zabuza returned the greeting. I stared at him, then at Kakashi. What did he mean when he said Kakashi had the Sharingan? The Sharingan was a special Kekkei Genkai that only appeared in Uchiha clan members! Did that mean... Could he be...

"Well, I'm on quite a tight schedule to polish off the old man."

Everybody tensed and Karina drew her katana.

"But it looks like I'll have to finish you off first, Kakashi," he added, grinning evilly. I shuddered; the look in his eyes was thoroughly creeping me out.

I was surprised to see that Karina was more relaxed than I was. She didn't seem surprised by the fact that Kakashi had just raised up his headband- wait, what?

"If I have to face him, it'd better be like this," he said, and I saw it- the Sharingan.

"Sharingan..." I whispered in awe.

"That's it, all right..." Karina muttered, not loosening her grip on her katana. "So what do we do?" she asked Kakashi.

"You three, protect Tazuna! I'll take Zabuza." he answered.

"RRiiigghht..." she answered slowly and sarcastically. "So you're thinking of charging him head-on, no backup, while we three just stand around guarding our client like we're at a tea party?"

"No. If I need you for backup, then you guys will be the backup."

"Oh, goody... I'd hate to see you being sliced in half with that beheader sword thingy," Karina answered smartly, then marched to her place in front of Tazuna, never lowering her guard once.

"Well, well... if it isn't the Uchiha Katana. How are your skills coming along?" Zabuza sneered. Karina clenched her fists.

"Shut. Up."

"Oh, I see that one of your teammates is looking confused. Maybe you haven't told everyone yet?"

I glanced sideways to see Sakura watching Karina with complete confusion. Oh, that's right... she didn't know about Karina being half-Uchiha.

"I said, shut up!" Karina was starting to lose her cool.

"But I don't think I will. Let's break the news to your little pink-haired friend."

Sakura jumped, then drew a kunai, glaring at Zabuza. "Break what news?"

"No!" Karina threw a few knives at Zabuza, the same ones she had used on Master Kakashi in the bell test, but he dodged them easily.

"You'll have to be better than that," he taunted.

"Karina, calm down!" Kakashi called. "You'll get nowhere like that!"

"You see, the truth is, your trusted friend over here is actually-"

"Don't say it!" Karina shrieked, which only made Sakura more suspicious.

"Don't say what...? What are you all talking about?" Throughout this all, Tazuna was just gaping open-mouthed at everything. I wished he would do something useful... but nope...

"Her full name is Karina Uchiha Katana. I'm sure you know who the Uchiha Katanas are...?" Zabuza smiled mockingly. Sakura raised a hand to her mouth, then her eyes darted to Karina, and back again.

"N-No way... y-you can't be serious..."

"Zabuza, you've crossed the line," Karina was fighting to keep herself in control. "You're going to pay for everything you've done... including this!"

Before we could stop her, she had darted at Zabuza, pulling aside the lock of hair that covered her right eye in the process. So she was getting serious about this. Huh.

Sakura

Uchiha Katanas are forbidden! Everyone hates them! So how could kind, intelligent Karina be one? Then I remembered how she had grown up without as many friends as she probably could have had. Even the adults seemed to avoid her; actually, the adults were mainly the ones who avoided her.

I gave a start as Karina ran at Zabuza. "Karina! Don't!" I yelled. She would get herself killed! I didn't care if she was forbidden; she was my teammate and my friend, and I wasn't going to just let that go.

"Karina! Stop it!" Master Kakashi ran at her and pinned her arms behind her back. Her right hand was raised in the air, with her katana gripped tightly in it.

"What's with the Uchiha Katana stuff?" Tazuna asked me. I shrugged.

"It means she's half Uchiha and half Katana, I suppose... and they're forbidden, by the way," I answered sourly. "So don't mention it."

"Right," Tazuna said, turning his attention back to Zabuza, who was watching everything calmly.

"Hn. So the Uchiha Katanas aren't as powerful as they're famed to be, eh? And it looks like Copy Ninja Kakashi, the man who's copied over a thousand techniques, is stuck on a squad with a forbidden girl, a cotton-candy-haired idiot, and a boy who looks emo."

Did he just call me a cotton-candy-haired idiot? He's going to pay for that one day!

Master Kakashi leaned down and whispered something in Karina's ear. She pulled a sour face, but stepped back to my side just as the mist thickened around us. I could still see, but it was a little harder.

"So, Kakashi… let's do this." came the cold voice out of the mist. So this was Zabuza's jutsu…

And it started.

The battle was amazing. Master Kakashi was amazing. Zabuza really was a demon.. But suddenly, Zabuza's figure just disappeared. Where'd he go?

"There are eight points…" I shivered at the cold, malicious voice that seemed to come out of nowhere. "Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian artery, kidneys, and heart… which one shall I strike first?"

"Everyone, be on guard!" Master Kakashi commanded, and we all did. Master Kakashi continued searching the area for Zabuza, while we all tensed, ready for battle.

"Sasuke, calm down…" I glanced sideways to see Sasuke shaking uncontrollably, his kunai knife pointed at his heart. Master Kakashi smiled kindly at us.

"I'll never let my comrades die!"

I smiled. Master Kakashi really was an awesome ninja.

"Are you sure about that?"

The next second, I was being kicked away from Tazuna as Zabuza landed between us and the old man. Master Kakashi drew Zabuza backwards, and they resumed their fight.

"Master Kakashi!" I heard Karina's voice yell. What had happened? Then I let out a gasp as I saw Master Kakashi being kicked into the water. Wow… that was one strong kick!

But instead of Master Kakashi getting right back out of the water, Zabuza walked over to him and trapped him in some kind of water sphere!

"No!" I screamed. What would we do? Zabuza made a clone that appeared a couple of feet between Zabuza and us.

"All of you, run!" Master Kakashi instructed. "For Zabuza to keep me trapped, he has to stay here with his hand intact! And his water clone can't stray too far from the original body! Our mission is to protect Tazuna!"

"Yeah, right! And leave you to die?" Karina shouted back at him. "There's no way! You said it yourself! 'Those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum', remember?"

"You have no idea what you're up against!" Master Kakashi insisted.

"Well, then tell us!" Karina retorted.

"Let me tell you something," Zabuza sneered. "You three aren't ninja. You're

just brats."

"We're ninja, you idiot!" Karina and Sasuke said at the same time.

"No, you're not. A true ninja is one who has passed between the shadow of life and death several times. You three are just brats," he said again, then smirked. "By the time I was your age, my hands had already been stained by my enemies' blood."

My mouth hung open. What did he mean?

"The demon… Zabuza!" Master Kakashi hissed.

"Demon?" asked Karina.

"What happened?" Sasuke added.

"Ah, I had so much fun with that old graduation exam…"

"Graduation exam? You're just confusing me more and more!" I shouted. "Get to the point already, please!"

"The old graduation exam of the Land Hidden in the Mist was a killing spree," Master Kakashi said, and our eyes opened wide in horror. "Just think about it… classmates who had been eating from the same dish just a week before… friends who had shared each other's every hope and dream… were forced to fight to the death."

"That's… horrible," Karina whispered. I had been about to say the same thing.

"But one year, the elders of the village had to change their rules because a boy who wasn't even qualified to be a ninja had butchered over a hundred of that year's graduating class." Master Kakashi said, glaring at Zabuza.

"Ah, yes… good times," Zabuza's eyes rolled up like a crazy person. I decided that he was crazy.

At that moment, Zabuza's clone stepped closer to us. Karina, being the closest to him, was kicked away. She skidded towards me, and I ran to help her up.

"You okay?" I asked. She nodded, and that's when I saw it. Her right eye. It was blazing red, with three tomes in it. The Sharingan!

"Don't mention it," she muttered bitterly.

"O-Oh… sorry," I apologized. Sasuke came over to us.

"Anyone got a plan?"

"Not yet…"

"I do," Karina answered. Sasuke grinned.

"Time for some of that teamwork, huh?"

"Right," Karina said, and created a bunch of clones. "Charge!" one of them yelled, and they all charged Zabuza.

"No!" Master Kakashi pounded against the side of his water prison thing. Karina and her clones were tough, but no match for Zabuza and his giant sword. After a while, she was thrown backwards, all her clones gone.

"Sasuke!" she yelled, grabbing something out of her backpack and throwing it to him. He caught it, and a smile spread across his face. What were they planning?

"Demon Wind Shuriken, Windmill of Shadows," Sasuke said threateningly, opening up the shuriken. Then, he leaped into the air and threw the shuriken. Zabuza laughed.

"Shuriken are useless against me, boy!"

He was slightly taken aback when the shuriken whizzed straight by the clone, and headed for the real body. Yes! It was working!

But right when I thought it might make contact, Zabuza caught it with his free hand, making sure his other hand was still securely attached to the water prison.

"He caught it!" I gasped. But Sasuke just grinned again, and I saw—another shuriken in the shadow of the first one! Zabuza was surprised too, from the looks of it, but this time leaped over it.

"Whoa!" I muttered. What was going to happen now?

But then I gave another sharp gasp as the shuriken gave a big 'poof', and… Karina appeared! Sasuke still had that smirk on his face as Karina reached into her pouch and pulled out one of her throwing knives.

"Well, here goes nothing!" she yelled as she threw it at Zabuza's arm.

**Chapter 12**

Karina

I held my breath as my knife whizzed straight for Zabuza's arm. If it hit his arm, at least it would injure him a little. But what I was really hoping for was that he would raise his arm out of the way to dodge the knife... and free Master Kakashi.

The knife was about an inch away from Zabuza when...

He withdrew his arm, out of the water prison, dodging the knife but freeing Master Kakashi!

"Yes!" I yelled, then started doggy-paddling over towards dry land; the water was pretty deep where I was standing... or rather, floating.

But then I realized that Zabuza was whirling the demon wind shuriken around in his hand-preparing to kill me with it.

"Darn..." I muttered, and raised one hand in a chakra-concentrating symbol-index and middle fingers raised like a "two" symbol but pressed together... _Katagan: Activate!_ 'Please work!' I pleaded in my thoughts. I had never managed to create a Katagan shield that covered my whole body before, but... this was an emergency!

"Karina!" Sakura shrieked as the shuriken flew at me. Sasuke was staring wide-eyed at me in horror, and Master Kakashi rushed forward and took a strike at Zabuza (which he dodged). Come on, stupid Kekkei Genkai! Come on!

Sakura gave out another high-pitched shriek as the shuriken hit me. Even Sasuke yelled something that I couldn't hear. Tazuna was just staring at everything in absolute horror. Master Kakashi whipped his head around just in time to see...

My smirking face as the force of the shuriken made me fly backwards several more feet into the water, but I was otherwise unharmed. My Katagan glowed a bright golden color, outlining my whole body. Thank you... Father... for giving me this Kekkei Genkai...

Sakura uncovered her eyes and gave out a great sigh of relief. Sasuke relaxed, and Tazuna wiped the sweat off his brow with his towel. Master Kakashi just pressed on and attacked Zabuza again. I swam to shore, then deactivated my Katagan and started trying to dry myself off...

But Master Kakashi... would he be okay? I turned around just as he happened to fly backwards towards us. Huh... I thought he could use his Sharingan like any other Uchiha! That Zabuza must really be strong...

I ran over to the "battle scene" and faced Zabuza myself. He had threatened our client and hurt our master. He had killed all his classmates without feeling a thing. He was really a demon... a demon that was going down.

I tried to activate my Katagan again, of course leaving my Sharingan as it was. But it seemed like I couldn't do it anymore... Zabuza sneered at me.

"You think you can match me, brat?"

"Well... probably not, but I only have to hold you back until everyone starts attacking. Then, you won't stand a chance."

"Ha! We'll see about that!" Zabuza launched himself at me.

"Yeah, we will!" I retorted, pulling out my Katana. I dodged his attacks with the help of my Sharingan, then launched my own attack.

"Karina, watch out!" Master Kakashi's voice came from behind me, coming closer with every word. I turned slightly, just in time for Zabuza's sword to miss my heart and graze my side. Thank goodness Master Kakashi had called out so I would turn around, otherwise I'd be dead...

Zabuza managed to give me a clean slice down my right side, and automatically, my hand went to it to try and stop the stinging of the water that was getting into it, and to hold it closed and compressed.

"Karina!" Sakura, the worrier... I mean, she was nice, sure, but she worried waaayyyy too much! Mostly about Sasuke, but... oh well...

"Karina, you get back," Master Kakashi arrived at my side.

"No way! I want to fight!" I protested. "If you get hurt, what'll we do then?"

"You'll continue the mission! Remember, our mission is our first priority right now!"

"I never expected you, of all people, to say something like that," I said in a low voice. It was true. As soon as I said the words, he flinched visibly. "Hmm? Have you forgotten your own words? Or do you need a reminder?"

"Yes, I know, but-"

"No buts. There are only two choices: I'm in, or I'm out."

"Then you're out."

"Too bad for you."

Zabuza laughed at our bickering. "You two sound like children."

"I am a child," I answered coldly. "A child who's about to kick your butt!"

"Hn... I'd like to see you try, Uchiha Katana," Zabuza sneered at me. I glared at him, and as I did, I felt a funny sensation in my eyes. Both of them. Could it be...

Zabuza looked taken-aback, so I knew that it was. My Sharingan had finally developed in my left eye. Sure, it was weak, barely enough to actually do anything, but it would help.

"K-Karina..." Master Kakashi stammered. I stared at him. It was just a Sharingan! Jeez! What was so interesting?

"What now?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips. Well, I put my left hand on my left hip, since my right was kind of clutching my wound.

"You do realize what your eye became, right?"

"You mean my Sharingan?"

"I mean your Mangekyo Sharingan."

Sasuke

I watched Karina freeze as Master Kakashi said something to her. What could be so amazing and shocking?

"I thought you had to kill your best friend to do that!" she screamed. I tilted my head. No way... to kill your best friend would activate... the... Mangekyo Sharingan…! NO WAY!

"KARINA! TURN AROUND!" I yelled at her. She turned slightly and glared at me.

"What? I'm busy right now! Bother me later, duckbutt!"

But I had to see it. If it was real... she was not only the Uchiha Katana, but the first female in Uchiha history to develop the Sharingan. Added to that, she might have developed it earlier than Itachi! Itachi was considered a prodigy for developing his at age 8... what would my clan think of Karina? And finally... the Mangekyo Sharingan at the age of 12? THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS! I screamed mentally.

I ran forward, ignoring idiot-Sakura's yells of protest. She would be fine by herself; our only enemy was Zabuza, and he was being occupied at the moment. "Karina, turn around!"

She was fighting Zabuza now, dodging his every swing and swipe. Thanks to her Sharingan, no doubt... Kakashi was also engaged in the battle, but he was fighting with ninjutsu instead of taijutsu. Karina flipped backwards, away from Zabuza's mighty sword, and made hand signs that I recognized: Pheonix Fire Flower!

She blew out the fireballs in all different directions, then rushed forward as Zabuza made a wall of water. Of course... water would beat fire... no duh... but of course Karina, with her all-mighty Sharingan, dodged around him, landed behind Zabuza and the wall of water, and did something that I couldn't see thanks to Zabuza's jutsu.

But I heard the yells. Zabuza yelled out an outraged "Ow!", then it was Karina's turn. Kakashi rushed forward and did something else that I STILL COULDN'T SEE! I darted around the wall of water to see-

(By the way this all happened in like about five seconds! Literally!)

Karina and Kakashi standing back to back, facing two Zabuzas... water clones? Karina should be able to see through that, right? Karina's eyes narrowed, and I knew that she knew which was the real one. In that case... I would help them.

She readied herself to launch forward at one of the Zabuzas when Kakashi turned her around so that she was facing the other-the clone. So he would fight the real one by himself, huh?

*Author's Note*

I'm sorry that I had to drag this fight on for soooo long but I needed Karina to develop her Mangekyo and learn to use it a bit! Sorry if you're bored!

*Back to Story!*

I ran forward and landed beside Karina. She glanced at me, but shrugged, and together we charged the clone. Zabuza was good, but Karina's eyes... in other words, Zabuza's clone disappeared in a bunch of water in the time it took Zabuza to swing his sword.

Okay... now for the real one...!

"Sasuke, Karina, get out of here! I'll take him!" Kakashi yelled at us. Huh. Why is he so full of himself?

"Uh-uh! Nope! Not going anywhere, remember?" Karina retorted.

"Oh, yes you are-!" he came at us and launched us towards Sakura and Tazuna. We flew through the air, me first, then Karina (who was clutching her side). I landed on my feet, skidding backwards several yards, and looked up to see Karina hurtling through the air straight at me. I didn't think; I just reacted... by catching her securely in my arms, both of us going backwards several more feet.

Karina wriggled out of my grasp and landed on the ground. "MASTER KAKASHI, YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT ONE!" she screamed at him.

"IF YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE REVENGE-" he broke off to do something or other that I couldn't see... "-THEN DO IT AFTER THE FIGHT IS OVER!"

"I will..." Karina muttered. "Take my word for it..."

I stared at her eyes, and couldn't look away. She glanced at me. "What?" she snapped.

"Your eyes..."

"You sound exactly like Master Kakashi..." she muttered, turning away. I forced her to look into my eyes, though... actually, I was trying to observe every little detail.

Her right eye wasn't just a third-stage Sharingan anymore... it was more like a shuriken shape but only with three points. Actually, it reminded me a lot of Itachi's cursed Mangekyo, but her points bent the other way and there were straight edges instead of everything being curved. Her left eye was now a second-stage...

"How old were you when you developed your Sharingan?" I asked her in a low voice. I had to know. She looked down at her feet.

"Four."

I merely grunted in reply, and we made our way back to Sakura and Tazuna. "Hey, guys... how're you holding up?" asked Karina cheerfully. I sighed and rolled my eyes; she was faking this one... being sarcastic yet again.

"Great! Thanks for asking, midget!" Tazuna answered... sarcastically. After all, Karina's wasn't really that small...

"Yeah..." Sakura sighed. "Do any of you happen to have any bandages?" she added.

"Huh? Why do you need them? Are you hurt?" asked Karina, apparantely oblivious to the pool of blood that was starting to form around her. Or maybe she was being sarcastic again... I couldn't tell.

"You idiot, YOU'RE the one who's hurt!" Sakura yelled in her face. Karina sighed.

"Sorry, sorry... and no I don't but-" she broke off, her face going pale.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Sakura put a hand on her shoulder.

"Blood loss," I answered for her. "If you're going to get bandages, you probably want to get them soon."

"Ugh..." Karina winced. "I think Master Kakashi has a roll..."

"Right... um... I'll go get them, then..." Sakura said uncertainly. I sighed. She would just get herself killed if she went into a battle like that!

"No need..." Tazuna said, a broad grin spreading over his face. He pointed, and we all looked that way. Kakashi was walking towards us, looking tired. Zabuza was nowhere in sight. When he saw Karina and her little red pool, he rushed over, threw his backpack on the ground, and basically destroyed everything else inside while trying to find his roll of bandages. I smirked... the idiot!

"You'd better hurry..." Sakura muttered. I glanced over. She was right; Karina was losing more blood by the second, her skin going paler and paler, until she looked almost like a vampire.

"Got it!" Kakashi started bandaging Karina's middle, Sakura supporting her back. Tazuna and I stood on the side, watching.

"She still needs to replenish her blood, though... or..." Kakashi muttered to himself, but everyone heard him; it was that quiet.

Karina's hand drifted towards her belt, and I saw a small pouch hanging from it. She opened it up with some difficulty, and reached inside. Kakashi's face brightened when he realized what it was.

"Huh? What's that?" Sakura, Tazuna, and (I hate to admit this, but...) I were all confused.

"It's a blood-replenishing pill!" Kakashi took the pill from Karina's hand and dropped it into her mouth. Soon, the color started coming back to her face, and she sat up. Just as Kakashi... fell down... how ironic...

"Master Kakashi?" Sakura and Karina yelled at the same time, then Karina sighed.

"Overuse of the Sharingan..." she muttered.

Hey guys... I think that was a little short, but... I hope the story's getting better! Fanning would be nice, voting would be excellent, and commenting would be awesome!

Wait... I've got it in the wrong order... okay... Commenting would be nice, voting would be excellent, and fanning would be awesome!

No wait again... which one's better, voting or fanning?

I'm just confusing myself, aren't I?

**Chapter 13: Zabuza's Death?**

Sakura

Karina and I were slowly sneaking over to Master Kakashi, intending to pull off that dumb mask, but... his eyes snapped open just as we were crouched over him. I fell backwards in shock, and Karina leaped backwards several feet. Jeez... curse his ninja reflexes. Did he have to open his eyes like that?

"W-What is it, Master Kakashi?" I asked, recovering from the shock. He sighed.

"Well, that hunter-nin-"

"What hunter-nin?" Karina asked, confused. I remembered then that she hadn't seen the masked boy who had taken Zabuza's body.

"Uh... oh yeah... you didn't see, did you?" Master Kakashi realized the same thing.

"See what?" Karina yelled in his face.

"I was about to finish off Zabuza when a hunter-nin came along and finished him off himself."

"Good! At least he's dead!" Karina cheered. Master Kakashi sighed.

"No... it's not just that..."

"Then what?" I asked. What was he getting at?

"Do you remember what he killed Zabuza with?" This question instantly caused confusion around our group.

"Uh... no! I didn't see him, remember?" was Karina's reply.

"I don't remember..." I muttered. But Sasuke was smart as always.

"Senbon needles..." he breathed, then realization hit his face.

"Senbon... oh!" Karina was the next to catch on. I didn't get it at all. "Then maybe..."

"And added to that, most hunter-nin dispose of the body right on the spot. But remember... the masked boy took Zabuza's heavy carcass with him." Master Kakashi added.

"Right... so then that means..." Karina said slowly.

"What are you guys all muttering about?" I realized then that Tazuna was in the room too, and he obviously didn't get it.

"...that there is a strong possibility that Zabuza is still alive!" Master Kakashi, Sasuke, and Karina said at the same time.

"What?" Tazuna exclaimed, and nearly fell over from shock. I did the same.

"But Master! You checked to make sure he was dead, didn't you?" I asked.

"Yes, but… a deathlike trance would have created a very lifelike illusion of the real thing," he answered.

"So then… we can't possibly hope to match him like we are now…" I said. "So what do we do?"

"I'll increase your training schedule!" Master Kakashi said, and Karina smiled.

"Yay!"

What was so exciting about training, anyway? And besides, "But Master, you can hardly move right now! How are you doing to train us?"

"You'll see…" was his answer.

Karina

I left the room and walked down the hallway to the room that Sakura and I shared. I stepped inside and threw myself on the bed. My stomach rumbled, and I realized that I was hungry. Was it dinner time yet?

No… still half an hour left… the aromas of Tsunami's cooking floated up through the door, and I breathed deeply. But it just made me hungrier. Jeez, couldn't I have a snack?

I sat up and rummaged around in my backpack. Hm… oh! A granola bar would do nicely!

Sakura came in just as I was finishing off the bar. She looked at the wrapper hungrily.

"What, you hungry, too?" I asked her. She nodded. I shrugged.

"Well you can have the last bit if you don't mind the fact that I bit into it already."

"Uh… well, I guess there's no choice… I'm starving…" Sakura said, and I threw the last bit of the bar to her. She caught it and finished it off in one bite. Just in time, too; Tsunami yelled from the kitchen,

"Dinner time!"

"Yes!" I cheered, and I raced Sakura to the kitchen. We tied, then sat down to eat. Sasuke and Master Kakashi joined us soon after. Tazuna came in too and we all sat down to eat. It was good... Tsunami was a good cook... then suddenly this kid came in.

"Inari!" Tazuna cried, holding out his arms to hug the little boy. I guessed that he was Tazuna's grandson. "Where have you been?"

Inari ignored his grandfather's question.

"Inari, greet our guests properly. They are the esteemed ninja who brought your grandfather safely home." Tsunami scolded, but there was a note of kindness in her voice. Inari said a small "hello" to us, then added,

"Why are they here?"

"Because your grandpa submitted a request for ninja to escort him back to his village." I stated before anyone else could say anything. 'And he lied to us, too.' I added in my head.

"And we may be able to help you and protect you from that Gato person, too," Sakura added.

"Yeah, right. Nobody can beat Gato and his men," Inari replied.

"Hey, hey! Look here. You're not a ninja, so what do you know?" I shot at him. He was being sooooo annoying! I just wanted to knock that hat off his little head!

Inari didn't answer, and walked away. "Inari, where are you going?" Tazuna called after him.

"I'm going to watch the ocean from my room." was his response.

What was with this little kid? Was he trying to persuade us to leave his country alone so that he could suffer under Gato's cruel watch? Or what?

I finished my dinner and stood up to walk to my room, ignoring the sudden throbs of my wound. Stupid Zabuza! Stupid Zabuza's sword thingy! I forced myself to walk back to our room, where I flopped down on the bed and inspected my slowly-healing wound. It had stopped bleeding, but the slice itself was still there. Eventually, I re-bandaged it, just as Sakura came in.

"Hey, Karina... watcha doin'?" she asked.

"I am rebandaging the stupid wound," I told her.

"Why is it stupid?"

"Cuz it throbs when I don't want it to!"

"...oh..."

I shrugged, laid back down on the bed, and stared at the ceiling until Sakura disturbed my peace.

"Master Kakashi wants us downstairs in five minutes," she told me.

"...oh..."

"Are you coming?"

"...maybe..."

"Oh, come on! You're going to be late!"

"...oh..."

"Karina, get up!"

"...oh..."

I was enjoying my peace and quiet, and she was disturbing it! I wasn't really paying attention to what she said, anyway...

"Fine." Sakura left the room in a huff and her footsteps slowly receded. Bye, Sakura!

I continued staring at the ceiling until somebody (Master Kakashi) yelled furiously,

"KARINA KATANA, GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE NOW!"

I sighed and rolled off the bed, then slipped off the bed and headed down the hallway. I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going, until I crashed into someone. That definitely caught my attention. I realized that I had bumped into Sasuke.

"Watch where you're going, idiot!" he scowled at me.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Well, you'd better, otherwise I'm gonna get mad at you…"

"So?"

"Shut up!"

"No."

Sasuke gritted his teeth, then grabbed my arm and dragged me down the hallway until we reached Kakashi's room.

"Hey! If you're gonna take me somewhere, then at least lead me there instead of dragging me!"

"No." Sasuke mocked. It was my turn to scowl at him, then I smirked.

"Why?"

"Because you're annoying."

"Why?"

"Don't you start with me!"

"Why?"

Sasuke ignored me now, and continued dragging me into the room.

"Helloooo, peoples!" I waved with my free hand as my butt scooted along the floor. Oh, and when I'm saying that Sasuke's dragging me, I mean he's literally dragging me.

Sakura cocked her head to the side, confused. "Uh… what are you guys doing?" there was a hint of jealousy in her voice.

"Ask him!"

"Ask her!"

We said in unison, then exchanged glares. Death glares. You know, the death glares that Uchihas were known for. Then I stuck my tongue out at him, and he rolled his eyes.

He then proceeded to throw me across the room at Master Kakashi, who caught me without even looking up. I realized that he was reading his perverted book.

I happened to glance down, and from where I was, I could read the book… perfectly. Let me just say that… when they say you have to be an adult to read something, they mean that you have to be an adult.

"EEEWWWWWWW! MASTER KAKASHI, YOU'RE SUCH A PERVERT!" I screamed, and scooted off of him as fast as I could. His cheeks reddened slightly, but he closed the book.

"What did it say?" Sakura whispered to me.

"You do NOT want to know," I whispered back. She nodded.

"If you say so."

"Well anyway, I'm going to increase your training schedule, peeps!" Master Kakashi said cheerily.

"You already told us that," I informed him smartly.

"I know. I'm just getting to it."

"Then get to it faster, please."

Master Kakashi sighed. "We're going to go out tomorrow morning and start our training. Be ready by five o'clock!"

"Yes sir!" said Sakura.

"…fine…" said Sasuke.

"You're going to be late anyway, so I won't get there till seven," I told him. He glared at me.

"How do you know I'm going to be late?"

"Because you always are!" me and Sakura yelled in unison. He sweatdropped.

"That's… a good point…"

**Chapter 14: Trees and Chakra**

Karina

I woke up early, and glanced at my watch (Do they have watches in Naruto? Oh well, Karina does, okay?). It was, ironically, five o'clock. Sakura was already gone, probably eating breakfast or something, since Master Kakashi had told us to be ready by five. Too bad.

I slowly got out of my bed and took a shower, which woke me up. I then changed into my ninja attire, practiced filling the room with clones, then finally buckled my katana's sheath to my belt. I stepped into the hallway and went into the kitchen for breakfast.

"Morning, Ms. Tsunami!" I said to her back as I entered the delicious-smelling kitchen; she was cooking at the stove.

"Good morning, Karina! Did you sleep well?"

"Yup! Where's everyone else?"

"Um..." Tsunami sighed and pointed. I followed her finger until I saw Sakura and Sasuke standing outside, looking extremely bored. Sakura seemed happy, since she was alone with Sasuke. Poor Sasuke...

"...yeah... okay... what's for breakfast?" I asked. Tsunami smiled kindly and handed me my plate. I sat down at the table and dug in.

Sasuke

Maybe Karina was right about not being ready until seven o'clock. Sakura and I had been standing here since five, and she was annoying the hell out of me! (A/N I don't count "hell" as a bad word, for those who have read my profile) She was still trying to flirt with me, trying to persuade me to like her, trying to make me hate Ino... but for some reason, she didn't try to make me hate Karina. At all. Maybe she thought of Karina as a friend, not a rival.

Ugh! Stupid Sakura! I finally got so fed up with her endless ranting that I stomped over to the front door and flung it open, revealing a very confused Karina and a hard-at-work Tsunami.

"Um... hey, Sasuke... what are you doing?" asked Karina.

I hissed in annoyance and sat down at the table across from her.

"Uh... hi...?" she cocked her head to the side. When I still didn't say anything, she stood up and slammed her hands on the table. I flinched.

"WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU, DON'T IGNORE ME, YOU IDIOT DUCKBUTT!" she yelled in my face, then sat down and smiled at me. "That felt good."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever," I muttered.

"Well, at least you said something!" Karina said cheerfully.

"What time is it, anyway?" I asked her, seeing the watch that was placed on her left wrist.

"Um... go find out!" she answered.

"What? Why? You have a watch!"

"But I don't want to look at it right now, and don't bother me cuz my side hurts again."

Oh... her wound? Too bad... I stood up and went into the other room to find a clock. There was a huge clock placed above the fireplace in the living room, and apparently it was six thirty. Only half an hour left...

I walked back into the kitchen to find Karina gone. "Where'd she go?" I mused, looking around.

"Back into her room, I think-" Tsunami was cut off as shouts were heard. Sakura ran into the house too, to see what was going on.

"AHH! DON'T KICK ME!"

"THATS-" splutter "-COLD!"

"GOOD! IT'S MEANT TO BE! YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP, YOU LAZY PERVERT!"

"I WILL! LATER!"

"IT'S ALREADY SIX THIRTY! HOW MUCH LONGER ARE YOU GONNA WAIT?"

"SIX THIRTY? OH NO! I GOTTA GET UP!"

"... yes, I know, that's why I CAME TO WAKE YOU!"

I couldn't help laughing. Karina had obviously poured a bucket of water onto Kakashi, then started yelling at him. Sakura was giggling too, and we both ran into Kakashi room to see Karina about to come out and the bathroom door closed.

"Hi, Karina!" said Sakura.

"Hi, Sakura!"

"That was... interesting," I commented, and Karina laughed.

"I know it was. He deserved a wake-up call, so I decided to be the rooster!"

"... right..."

"MASTER KAKASHI, HURRY UP!" Karina turned and screamed at the closed door.

"WHEN I COME OUT, THERE BETTER NOT BE ANYONE IN MY ROOM!" Kakashi yelled back.

"Okay, let's go," Sakura decided, and led the way down the hall and out of the house, us following. A few minutes later, when Kakashi still hadn't come out, Karina stormed back into the house and yelled so loud that it left my ears ringing.

"KAKASHI HATAKE, GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!"

I couldn't help smiling as I remembered that the phrase Karina had used was what Kakashi had said to her the day before. Sakura giggled, and peeked through the window to see what would happen. I followed her example, and saw Karina standing in front of a fully-dressed Kakashi (who was still on crutches), who was glaring at her.

"Lower your voice, idiot!" he scolded, and Karina scowled.

"I don't want to!"

Kakashi sighed, then made her follow him out of the house. "Okay, everyone. Follow me."

We did what he said, and followed him until we reached a small clearing near the house with trees surrounding it.

"What are we gonna do here? Climb trees?" asked Karina doubtfully, putting a hand on her hip.

"Exactly!" Kakashi said cheerfully, and demonstrated by walking up the nearest tree using only his chakra. "Use your chakra to stick to the tree, and climb all the way to the top!"

"He's climbing..." Sakura muttered.

"...with his legs and feet parallel to the ground!" Karina finished for her, and both females looked a little confused at the sudden training that we were about to do.

"Use these kunai knives to mark your progress," Kakashi threw three kunai, which landed in the ground in front of us. "Let's see who's chakra control is the best, shall we?"

"Well, I'm guessing... Sakura!" Karina said cheerily, pointing dramatically at the pink-haired girl, who seemed a little embarassed.

"I guess Sasuke!" Sakura squealed, and I rolled my eyes.

"I guess nobody," I told them. Karina laughed.

"In other words, you guess yourself, right?"

"N-No!" I protested, but then Kakashi interrupted our little fight.

"The best way to learn is by doing!" he announced, which was obviously our signal to start. I walked over to the nearest tree, focused my chakra, and climbed several feet before I accidentally punched a hole in the tree with my foot. My chakra disappeared, and I marked the spot with my kunai before jumping between two trees to make it to the ground safely. So... if I used too much chakra, then that would happen...?

I looked around to see Karina sitting on the ground in front of a tree, and looked up to see where she had gotten to. A wave of disappointment washed over me when I realized that we were exactly equal. But she didn't have a foot-shaped hole in her tree.

"This is easier than I thought!" Sakura's annoying voice came from above, and I glanced upwards. She was sitting high up on a branch, her kunai stuck in the tree next to her.

"See! I was right!" Karina grinned at Sakura, no trace of jealousy in her voice at all. So she was happy for Sakura... no wonder Sakura considered her a friend...

"It looks like Sakura has the best chakra control of us all!" Kakashi said from above. "Right now, she's the closest to becoming Hokage... unlike a certain someone..." I glanced over to see Karina's expression. She wasn't too happy about the teasing part. "... and our finest hope of the Uchiha clan doesn't seem to great, either..." I growled in fury, and Sakura yelled,

"Master Kakashi, Sasuke's way better than any of us!"

Sure, she stuck up for me, but Sakura was the most annoying person on this team! I wouldn't let her surpass me! No way!

Sakura

It had been about three hours since we'd started, and I was bone-tired. How did Karina and Sasuke keep up the strength for so long? They were still going at it, climbing higher and higher every time.

But Karina was slowly surpassing Sasuke, climbing about an inch higher than him every time. Poor Sasuke! Why did he have the worst chakra control of us all?

"Sasuke!" I called to him. The raven-haired boy turned to me, an annoyed expression on his face.

"What do you want?"

"Do you want some tips?" I offered, smiling nicely. Would he accept my offer?

"No. I can do this on my own."

Darn! Oh, well... I'll try again next time...

"Sakura! I need you to go guard Tazuna until he finishes his work for today," Master Kakashi called to me. I jumped up and nodded.

"Yes sir!" I said, and dashed off to find the bridge and Tazuna. As I drew closer to the massive structure, I could see faint outlines of workers through the mist. This mist wasn't too thick, so I could tell that it wasn't Zabuza's jutsu again; this time, it was natural.

"Huh... where's the forbidden girl and the emo kid?" Tazuna asked me as I came running up to him.

"They're training," I answered, smiling at him.

"Shouldn't you be training, too?"

"Nope! I surpassed them, so Master Kakashi told me to come guard you!" I replied, just as one of the workers came up to us.

"Tazuna, I just wanted to tell you that I'm quitting this job."

"What? Why?" Tazuna exclaimed in shock. I stared at the crazy man; why in the world would he want to give up?

"I'm sorry, but I have a wife and kids to tend to! I can't stay here, knowing that Gato could come and kill me at any moment! You should stop, too, before he comes and actually kills you!"

"Giichi..." Tazuna seemed sad. "I'm sorry, but I can't quit. This is my job, and if I succeed, the Land of Waves will be prosperous again!"

I understood why this Giichi person wanted to quit, but I didn't like it. He was a little bit of a coward.

"I'm sorry, Tazuna," Giichi said, then left, with Tazuna looking after him sadly.

Well, it's not the longest chapter I've written, but... oh well! Hope you enjoyed! Don't forget to comment and/or vote! That would be greatly appreciated!

Oh, and by the way, I just read the saddest story on Wattpad that I've read so far! You should totally go read it, peoples! It's soooooo touching! It's called "Speak", and it's a Naruto fanfic by "MissChryss"

SOOOOOO GOOD!

**Chapter 15: Zabuza's Return**

Hey guys! Sorry for not updating in soooooo long! I made the chapter longer, just for you! :)

** Karina**

I glared at the tree in front of me, panting heavily. Stupid tree! Why couldn't I climb to the top? Sakura had finished her training like two days ago, and here I was, stuck, my kunai marks only going about halfway up the tree!

Okay, so maybe not two days (yet), but still! A long time, in my opinion! I glanced sideways to see how Sasuke was doing... we were pretty much equal again, both in chakra amount and kunai mark height.

I sat down just as Master Kakashi came into view.

"How are you two doing?" he asked.

"Very badly," I sighed, and lay down on the cool grass. Night was falling, and it was getting darker. Obviously.

"Okay...?" Master Kakashi scratched the back of his head, then told us to come back in for dinner.

"But if I take too many breaks, I'll never make it to the top!" I whined.

"You have to eat and rest in order to replenish your chakra, idiot," Sasuke said as he walked past me.

"Hey! I'm not an idiot!" I protested, following him back to Tazuna's house. "I'm just... uh..."

"... an idiot," Sasuke finished.

"NOOOOOO! I am NOT an idiot, Uchiha!"

"...right..."

I bonked him on the head, then flung open Tazuna's front door and slammed it in Sasuke's face. Just for fun.

"Oh, hey, Karina!" Sakura greeted me as I came in.

"Hi, Sakura," I replied, slowly taking off my shoes. That was a mistake, since I was still by the door. And... a certain Uchiha was right outside, ready to come in, and rather pissed that I had slammed the door in his face, too. So... yeah...

The door burst open and knocked me forwards. I skidded on my stomach for a few feet, then finally stopped. I picked myself up and glared at Sasuke.

"What the heck, idiot?" I threw my shoes at his face. He caught one, but one of them hit him. I laughed. "That was awesome!"

"Sasuke, are you okay?" Sakura asked. Hey! She didn't ask me if I was okay! She only asked Sasuke! Meanie!

Sasuke nodded and "hn"ed, then glared at me and threw my shoes onto the ground. "Don't do that," he scowled.

"I can do that if I want! The rule is, 'keep your hands and feet to yourself', but they don't say anything about throwing shoes!"

"Um..." Sakura cut in. "Yes they do. 'Keep your hands, feet, and other objects to yourself'."

"Oh, whatever," I grinned, and sat down next to Sakura. Sasuke took off his own shoes (I made sure that he didn't throw them at me), and stomped over to sit across from me.

We all started our meal when Master Kakashi finally arrived, and we were all eating in peace and harmony when suddenly Sakura just had to bring up the fact that there was a tear in the edge of a picture hanging on the wall... Somebody had been purposely torn off... why?

As soon as Sakura said something like "Why does it look like somebody was left out of this picture?", Inari stormed off to his room to 'watch the ocean', and Tazuna started telling us how Inari's sorta-father was a hero who saved the village, then died because of Gato.

"That. Is. Stupid," I announced when he had finished the story-telling. Everybody stared at me in surprise.

"What do you mean, stupid? That was really sad!" Sakura protested.

"No. That was stupid. You wanna know how I see things?" I looked around the table, and everyone nodded, including Sasuke. Shocker. "Well, for starters, I guess it's pretty obvious, but Gato's ruthless, greedy, and just plain mean. I mean, he takes away everybody's symbol of hope just to scare them? Stupid.

And then we have the villagers. Sure, Kaiza was really brave, kind, and selfless, the exact opposite of Gato himself. But... after he died... what did you guys do? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I think the only person, the only single person in this entire land who kept any hope and kept driving towards his goal was you, Mr. Tazuna. Only you.

If you had had other people, other supporters to help you, that bridge would've been finished long ago, and you would already be free. But noooo, everybody else just had to be cowardly and hide in their houses, hoping that Gato would just free them one day. Or kill them. That's stupid too. If you want to accomplish a goal, then you need to have the determination to do it, and the guts to never give up-until that goal is reached or you die. That's what the villagers need. Determination, bravery, and maybe a new hero."

Well, I'm pleased to say that everybody was staring at me when I finished my speech. Master Kakashi was looking at me at an angle, as though trying to see me at a new perspective... okay...?

Sasuke had his poker face on as usual, but I saw a glimmer of determination in his eyes. Good Sasuke! That's exactly what we need!

Sakura was smiling slightly, and looking at me in admiration. Yay! I'm admired!

Tazuna was nodding, a broad grin spreading across his face.

Tsunami seemed very surprised, but she didn't say anything, and I thought I saw a hint of a smile cross her face, too.

"Well, I guess you're right," Tazuna finally spoke up. "Maybe you guys can help bring hope to this land."

"Maybe you're right..." Tsunami sighed.

The rest of the evening passed in silence, and then Master Kakashi sent us all to bed. How exciting.

I flopped down on my bed, and Sakura came in a few minutes later, too. She switched off the light, mumbled a barely audible "Good night" (Hey, that rhymes!), and then fell asleep. I could tell; her breathing grew slower and more peaceful.

After a few hours, I realized that I couldn't sleep, and went out into the forest. I approached the tree that I had been climbing, took out a kunai knife, and focused my chakra. I climbed up and up and up... and slashed the bark as my chakra started to diminish. I hopped between two trees to get down without hurting myself, then tried again.

This went on for another few hours, until I fell asleep, out of chakra.

I was awakened by somebody tapping my face gently. My eyes opened to see a pretty face smiling down at me.

"You'll catch a cold if you sleep here," she said. I think it was a she. Maybe a he. Oh, whatever! It was either a really, really girly-looking boy, or a girl with absolutely no breasts at all. Huh. Weird.

"Oh, um... thanks...?"

"So, what were you doing out here?" she/he asked.

"Training!" I answered excitedly.

"Eh? Are you a ninja?"

"Yup! From Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves!" I announced proudly. She/he smiled.

"I see... but shouldn't you be strong already?"

"Nope... I have to get even stronger..."

"Hehe..." she/he laughed, and I raised an eyebrow. Well, I raised the only eyebrow that she/he could see, which was my left one.

"What's so funny?" I asked, confused. She/He stopped laughing, and smiled again.

"Are you doing this for yourself, or for somebody else?"

"Somebody else...?"

As soon as I said that, she/he laughed yet again.

"Do you have anyone special in your life?"

I was taken aback by this question. "You mean... somebody who's taken care of me in the past?"

"Yes."

"Well, of course!"

*Flashback*

_ A six-year old Karina sat by the edge of the street, watching people pass by her. She had no home, and lived in the forest in a little tent, all by herself. Nobody knew about it except her. (Yet...)_

_ It was the day of the Moon Festival, and everybody seemed happy... it had been so long since she was happy, truly happy. Her parents had died two years ago, and their names had been carved on the KIA stone, along with many others. _

_ It didn't seem fair. Why was she the only one to be sitting here alone, watching happy people walking around? Why did her parents have to die...? Why did all the villagers seem to hate her or be afraid of her? It was always one of the two. 'Life isn't fair...' she hated that phrase. _

_ "Hey, kid... what are you doing here all alone?" a voice suddenly asked, and a shadow loomed over her. Karina's head shot up, and her eyes were greeted by the sight of a smiling tanned man, with a scar across his nose. He couldn't be older than twenty-five._

_ "Um... well, where else can I go?"_

_ "You mean you have no home?"_

_ "..." Karina didn't answer, and the man crouched down to her level._

_ "My name is Iruka Umino," he said, smiling kindly. "Here, come with me."_

_ Karina shook her head, afraid of what he might do. For all she knew he might be somebody who actually hated her, who was trying to lure her into a trap... to kill her._

_ "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. In fact, here." he handed her a piece of candy, along with a rice ball. "That was part of my dinner, but... you seem to need it more than I do."_

_ Karina knew he was right, since she didn't get much food to eat, but was still wary of the stranger. Iruka pulled out another rice ball and bit into it. _

_ "I haven't poisoned it, you know," he said, with a trace of amusement in his voice. She finally forced herself to eat the rice ball, and found that she liked this man. He was nice._

_ "Thank you," she said softly, and Iruka stood up. He held out a hand to her, and she accepted gratefully. He steered her across the streets, and to a small house. He unlocked the door, let her inside, and told her, _

_ "You can stay in the guest room for as long as you'd like. Oh, and I didn't catch your name. Do you mind telling me what it is?"_

_ Her heart dropped like a stone. If she told him her name, he would instantly turn on her, too. Darn it, darn it, darn it!_

_ "Huh? What's wrong?" Iruka asked. _

_ "I don't wanna tell you my name," she mumbled. _

_ "Then what do I call you?"_

_ "... whatever you'd like," Karina answered._

_ "Okay, then how about... Kira?" (A/N hehe I was too lazy to think up another japanese name so I used the one from my other story...)_

_ "... okay," she agreed. _

_ "Here, follow me," she followed Iruka down the hallway to a spare bedroom. Inside was a small bed, a dresser, and a small closet. There was also a nightstand by the bed, and a lamp on a desk. _

_ "... nice room..." she muttered._

_ "It's not that nice... pretty small, actually."_

_ "You consider this small?" she shrieked in surprise._

_ "Uh... yes...?" Iruka seemed very confused. "Well anyway, the bathrooms across the hall, and my room's down there-" he pointed to the bathroom and his room. "-so you might as well go take a shower, then go to bed, okay?"_

_ I nodded, and he smiled and left. What a nice man._

_ Iruka Umino sat in his classroom, grading papers. He was surprised when the door opened, and in the doorframe stood the rather famous Kakashi Hatake himself._

_ "Uh... hi, Kakashi! What brings you here?" Iruka asked curiously._

_ "To discuss with you that girl you've got," was Kakashi's answer. Iruka was confused. Did he mean Kira?_

_ "You mean Kira?" _

_ "Kira? That's what she told you her name was?"_

_ "Um... actually, no. She didn't want to tell me her name, so I just made one up. Besides, I like the name Kira."_

_ Kakashi laughed. "I see. I understand why she wouldn't want you to know her name."_

_ "Eh? Why not?"_

_ Kakashi's face turned serious, and Iruka stared at him. What could be so bad about... a girl's name?_

_ "Iruka, her full name is Karina Uchiha Katana."_

_ And then Iruka understood._

_ The Uchiha Katana._

_ The girl hated by everybody._

_ Was living in his house._

_ Poor girl... Kakashi soon left, and as soon as he had finished grading his papers, Iruka rushed home to find an empty house._

_ "Karina?" he called, then realized his mistake. "Kira?" he tried to cover up, but he knew that if Karina had heard, she wouldn't face him._

_ He searched the entire house, and realized that all her belongings were gone (not that she really had any anyway, just a few spare clothes that Iruka had bought her). Then he went back into his kitchen and sat down on a chair. Karina was gone...? What if something terrible had happened to her? What if she had been kidnapped?_

_ Right on cue, he saw a piece of paper hanging from the wall, pinned there by a small throwing knife, the likes of which he had never seen. He went over to the wall, wrenched the knife out, and caught the paper before it dropped. He read the note first._

_ Iruka,_

_ I'm really sorry for running out on you like this, but I was going to find you today at the Academy when I saw a Jonin go in. I was curious, and so I eavesdropped a bit on your conversation. Now that you know that I am in fact the girl you probably want to avoid, I can't stay here anymore. _

_ I've enjoyed your hospitality for long enough; in fact, for too long, and so I've decided to go back to where I came from. I hope to see you again, but if you don't want to stop and talk to me- or even look at me- I'm used to it already. I understand._

_ Your friend,_

_ Karina Uchiha Katana_

*End Flashback*

The boy/girl smiled, then stood up. "I've finished gathering my herbs, and I need to make it back to my comrade now. I know that you will become very strong, someday."

"Thanks," I grinned and waved good-bye as she/he walked away. Then, after a couple of steps, she/he turned around.

"Oh, and by the way, I'm a boy."

I laughed. "Okay, I'll keep that in mind if I ever see you again. Take care!" I called after him as he left.

A couple minutes later, Sasuke approached my tree (where I was training again), and said, "What did that boy tell you?"

I nearly fell out of the tree in shock. I didn't even hear him approach!

"Sasuke! Don't do that!" I leaped down from the tree and crossed my arms, glaring at him. "You nearly made me fall out of that stupid tree! You stupid idiot!"

"Why is everything stupid?"

"Cuz I want them to be! And cuz you already are!"

"... well, anyway, Kakashi was looking for you when Sakura woke up and started yelling to the whole house that you were gone. Now come back before you cause any more trouble."

"Aww, was someone worried?" I teased, and he glared at me.

"No!"

"That's not nice..."

I turned back to the tree and started climbing again. After a while, Sasuke joined me (on his own tree, not mine! That would be wayyyy too freaky!), and we... uh... how do you say this... climbed in silence...? That just sounds weird...

And after another while, approxamately thirty minutes, I heard Sakura and Kakashi's voices, getting louder with each word.

"-did Karina stay out all night? And where did Sasuke go?"

"... I thought I sent Sasuke to go fetch Karina, but maybe they both got lost..."

"Hi, guys!" I called as they entered the clearing. I was hanging upside down from a branch, grinning at the two of them. "Miss me?"

"Karina! Were you training all last night?"

"Uh... well... not really, I fell asleep in the middle of it and I got woken up by this really girly-looking boy! And then he left! And then Sasuke found me and said something about you screaming! But anyway! I'm hungry!"

Kakashi and Sakura both sweatdropped, and Sasuke muttered, "Shut up, idiot."

"You're the idiot," I muttered right back, then proceeded to "fall" out of the tree.

"Karina!" Sakura shrieked, and Master Kakashi's eyes widened. I grinned and threw a kunai knife at the nearest tree, then swung on the rope attached to it to land on a branch, then I hopped down right in front of Sakura.

"Hey, Sakura! Hi, Master Kakashi! Watcha doin'?" I grinned, then jumped backwards as they both exploded.

"KARINA, DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I WAS?" Sakura screamed first.

"Don't do that!" Master Kakashi yelled, and I scratched my head.

"Uh... okay...?"

"Idiot..." Sasuke muttered, jumping down from his tree, and I glared at him.

"You can shut up!"

"No."

I growled at him, then continued climbing. After a while, Master Kakashi and Sakura left...

**Sakura**

I was setting up for dinner (and waiting for Karina and Sasuke to return), Master Kakashi was sitting in the corner reading his book as usual, Tsunami was cooking, and Tazuna was in the bathroom taking a shower.

We all sat down to eat, Tazuna having finished his shower, just as the door opened and Karina and Sasuke came in.

"Finally back?" Master Kakashi asked, not looking up from his book.

"Yes, and we both made it to the top of the tree!" Karina cheered, and I smiled. Master Kakashi nodded and said,

"Good. Then tomorrow, you can both help Sakura guard Tazuna at the bridge."

"Yay!" Karina and Sasuke both sat down and started eating hungrily. About halfway into the meal, Inari started crying. Karina looked up.

"Eh? Why are you crying?" she asked.

"Why do you train so hard? No matter what you do, you're no match for Gato's men!"

"Oh, really?" the whole table had gone silent, every eye on Karina and Inari. "You think that we can't make it? Then let me tell you something. If you want to hide behind everybody for your entire life, then you do that. But I won't. It's cowardly, and if you have no purpose in life, then why are you alive? Huh? Can you answer that?"

Inari was silent, and Karina went on.

"You think that it's okay to treat everybody around you like guests at your pity party? You think that I haven't experienced things that you have? You think that you know more than I do? You're just a coward who only thinks about himself! You big baby!"

I was shocked. Since when did Karina become so harsh?

"Karina! You went too far!" I said as Inari stood up and went to leave.

"I expected more out of you!" Karina yelled after him as he went outside.

"Karina!" I sighed. "What'd you do that for?"

"It's was about time somebody said that to him," she scoffed. "He's such a coward, when he has such great influences in his life. Kaiza, his father; and our beloved Tazuna!"

Tazuna beamed, Sasuke shrugged, and I followed his example. "Yeah, I guess, but..."

Then Master Kakashi stood up to go and follow Inari somewhere, and I continued my dinner.

**Kakashi**

I followed Inari outside and found him on the dock, looking at his reflection sadly.

"Mind if I join you?" I asked, sitting down without waiting for his answer. I don't think he really minded. I decided to start the conversation.

"Karina didn't really mean anything by that... it's just... she's had a hard life too; maybe even harder than yours."

Inari glanced at me in surprise.

"Sasuke's had a pretty hard life as well, so they both understand what you've been through."

"W-What were their lives like?" Inari asked after a few moments of silence.

"Well, you see, Karina was born as a half-Uchiha and a half-Katana. Normally, it wouldn't be so bad, but a couple of years before she was born, another, older Uchiha Katana turned on Konoha and tried to kill everybody in the village. Since he had both clans' Kekkei Genkai, he was extremely powerful and nearly succeeded in his plan.

And then about three years later, Karina came along, and all the villagers instantly hated her. They thought that she would turn on them too, and never saw her as the sweet, innocent girl she was back then.

To make matters worse, her parents died when she was four, during an A-ranked mission. She was left all alone, and lived... actually, I have no idea where she lived during those years... but she eventually began to fit in more, and she found her best friend and opened up a lot."

Inari was staring open-mouthed at me, but I went on.

"Sasuke... well, he's the last remaining member of the Uchiha clan, unless you count his brother and Karina. Have you ever heard of the Uchiha clan massacre?"

Inari shook his head.

"Sasuke's older brother, Itachi Uchiha, killed his entire clan one night, but left him alive. Sasuke was devastated, and from then on, stopped being the happy, cheerful little boy he used to be. All he wants now is revenge, and he'll do anything for the power."

"Does he know that Karina's related to him?" Inari wondered, and I nodded.

"I believe so; he's seen her Sharingan, the Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha clan, and Zabuza mentioned it during the fight we had on our way here."

"... they're so strong," Inari whispered.

"And through all these hardships, I've never seen either of them cry once. They're hardcore."

"..." Inari was silent after that, and I sensed a familiar chakra signature near us. How could I not have noticed earlier? So this was our little eavesdropper...

**Karina**

I silently listened to Kakashi and Inari's conversation, surprised by how much Kakashi knew about me. I mean, the Uchiha massacre was no secret, but for him to know about my parents and everything...

I slipped away just as Kakashi's explanation ended, but I think he must have caught a trace of my chakra signature, because as soon as he got into the house, he slipped me a small smile. Oookaaaay...?

"Well, I'm going to bed," Sakura announced, and I followed her upstairs to our room, where I flopped down on the bed. "Karina, you still have to brush your teeth!" Sakura scolded, and I groaned, but got up.

After all our necessary "before-bed-procedures" were finished, Sakura turned off the light and I leaped into my bed. "G'night," I mumbed, my voice muffled by the blankets.

I think Sakura was already asleep.

The next morning, when I woke up, everyone else was already gone. I poked my head into Tsunami's room, where I saw her and Inari doing... something...

"Hiya, Tsunami! Where's everyone else?" I asked.

"Oh, they've already gone to the bridge. Didn't want to wake you," Tsunami answered, and I growled. What? They already left?

I quickly got ready, strapping my katana to my belt, and yelled, "I'm off!" to Tsunami before taking the shortcut to the bridge: through the forest. As I jumped through the trees, I began to see slash marks on the trees... those were katana marks! And they were heading for... the house?

**Sasuke**

I was beginning to have second thoughts about leaving Karina home when I saw the bodies and the mist. But now, surrounded by Zabuza's water clones... heh... this would get interesting... I would finally get to see how strong I had gotten.

"Oh, the poor brat's shaking," Zabuza mocked, and I grinned.

"I'm shaking with excitement."

"Go on, Sasuke," Kakashi ordered, and, as fast as lightning, I sliced all ten of the water clones into... water, then returned back to my original position.

"Well, he's gotten stronger," Zabuza said to his partner. "A worthy rival, eh, Haku?"

The masked boy from before stepped forward. "Indeed."

"So you were on his side..." Sakura said.

After a few more comments on either side, things began to get interesting.

"I'll take Haku," I said, and the facedown began.


End file.
